U.S. President Barack Obama, Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Cambridge Police Sergeant James Crowley sit down for a beer at 6 p.m. Thursday afternoon in the Rose Garden, White House.

Obama also invited vice president Biden to join the beer summit.

The men made no comments to reporters and nothing was heard.

Obama described it as some personal conversation among people who are imperfect, and he included himself in that.

White House press secretary Gibbs said they will make no statements in the presence of the media.

Reporters, photographers and video crews will be kept out of earshot. The whole public exposure may last less than a minute.

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