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Konrad Adenauer Leaving the Seat of the Allied High Commission after Receiving the New Occupation Statute (September 21, 1949)
On September 21, 1949, the new occupation statute was officially presented to Chancellor Adenauer in the Hotel Petersberg, then the seat of the Allied High Commission. (The statute, which clarified the position of the occupying powers vis-à-vis the new state, had already been announced on May 12, 1949.) For the occasion, Adenauer brought only a small delegation from his new government, and, violating protocol, stood on the same carpet as the three Allied high commissioners during the ceremony. By putting himself on the same level, the self-confident Adenauer demanded that the Federal Republic be treated as an equal partner rather than an occupied country.

Here, we see Chancellor Adenauer departing from the Hotel Petersberg after receiving the occupation statute; the honor guard is composed of ten American, ten British, and ten French soldiers. Photographer unknown.