In June 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited the Federal Republic of Germany; the vehicle convoys were greeted everywhere by dense crowds of people. The photograph taken from an elevated perspective shows an open car with a motorcycle escort on a street lined with spectators. Such motorcades were a defining image of the four-day visit and reflected the great enthusiasm of the West German population. The visit took place under the sign of the Cold War and American solidarity with the Federal Republic and West Berlin.