In June 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited the Federal Republic of Germany and West Berlin. The photograph shows a motorcade with the open presidential car, flanked by a motorcycle escort and lined by dense crowds of spectators. Such passages through German cities became a visible expression of the enormous enthusiasm that Kennedy’s visit aroused in the population. The visit took place in the context of the Cold War and Western solidarity with the Federal Republic and West Berlin following the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.