This chapter begins with a description of tensions between Germans and Americans during the occupation era, then discusses the development of official German-American friendship in the 1950s. Friendship activities suggested that Germans and Americans shared a common culture, that they were partners in preserving world peace, and that each had something to teach the other. While friendship activities did not represent the entirety of German-American experience, they did reveal how the two communities wished to portray their relationship. By emphasising equality and partnership, German-American friendship activities helped transform West Germany from a defeated enemy to a valuable ally.