'We agreed to move forward,' Crowley said later when asked if anything was solved. 'I think what you had today was two gentlemen agreeing to disagree on a particular issue. I don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. We spent a lot of time discussing the future.'

Before the four men gathered at the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs downplayed expectations for the 'Beer Summit,' saying the president 'is not going to announce anything' in terms of initiatives to address racial profiling and would not speak to reporters.

'You won't hear from the president,' Gibbs said Thursday afternoon. 'You won't hear from the glass of beer.'

The arrest this month, in response to reports of a possible break-in at Gates' home, sparked a national debate about race, class and police attitudes towards minorities.

Obama quickly got involved, saying at a news conference that police in Cambridge acted 'stupidly.'

His comment itself drew criticism, and later he softened his stance, saying, 'I could've calibrated those words differently.'

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)