Germany & the US
A Century of German-US Ties
While relations between the two countries have not always been ideal, the US and Germany continue to have strong political, historical and cultural connections. Here is a brief look back at some of the key trans-Atlantic moments.
Signing of the Treaty of Versailles
In Versailles in 1919, the "Big Four" Allied leaders signed the treaty that ended World War I. Left to right: Vittorio Orlando of Italy; Lloyd George of Great Britain; Georges Clemenceaus of France; and US President Woodrow Wilson. Some say that the treaty humiliated the German people and contributed to Hitler's rise to power.
The End of World War II
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, US President Harry Truman, center, and Soviet leader Josef Stalin are pictured here at the Potsdam Conference in Potsdam, a suburb of Berlin, in Aug. 1945. The "Big Three" are the chief participants of the talks that led to the division of Germany under Allied control after World War II.
The Marshall Plan
This 1952 photograph was taken outside the Schott Glass Works in Mainz. The sign reads "The Marshall Plan at Work." A total of around 15 million German Marks were paid out by the US to rebuild Germany between 1951 and 1953 and led to the rebirth of German industry.
A Presidential Visit
On April 7, 1953, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, right, met with US President Dwight D. Eisenhower at the White House. The meeting has been hailed as a breakthrough moment in German-US relations after the war.
The Berlin Airlift
After 60 years, the Berlin Airlift is still regarded by Berliners as one of the most important moments in the city's modern history. Here, children watch a plane loaded with goods land at Tempelhof Airport. Click on the links below for more on the historic event.
Standoff at Checkpoint Charlie
US Army tanks (foreground) faced Soviet tanks at one of the Berlin Wall's most famous landmarks, Checkpoint Charlie, on October 27-28, 1961 for a few perilous hours in a dispute over unrestricted American access to the communist-ruled sector of the city.
"Ich bin ein Berliner"
Speaking in front of the Schoeneberger Rathaus in Berlin on June 26, 1963, US President John F. Kennedy said the now famous words: "Ich bin ein Berliner." With these four words ("I am a Berliner"), JFK declared to the people of Berlin that even if they were cut off, they were not alone.
"Tear down this wall"
On June 12, 1987 in Berlin, US President Ronald Reagan demanded that Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev "tear down this wall!" Two and a half years later the Berlin Wall was opened and the Cold War came to an end.
New Embassy, New Century
With the opening of a new embassy in the heart of Berlin, officials in both countries are hoping that the next century of US-German relations will not be quite as eventful as the last.