On June 26, 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy traveled by motorcade through West Berlin, greeted by hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic people lining the streets. The visit took place in the context of the Cold War and was a visible signal of American solidarity with the divided city, two years after the construction of the Berlin Wall. Motorcycle escort and open vehicles characterized the ceremonial convoy that led Kennedy to the most important stops on his Berlin program.