Willy Brandt at a Window in Erfurt (March 19, 1970) To prepare treaties aimed at normalizing the relationship between the GDR and the Federal Republic, Chancellor Willy Brandt traveled to Erfurt (East Germany) in March of 1970 for his first meeting with Willi Stoph, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the GDR. To the great displeasure of the SED leadership, the local population gave Brandt a warm welcome. In this photograph, Brandt stands at an open third-floor window in the Hotel Erfurter Hof, making himself visible to an enthusiastic crowd gathered below. Photo by Hanns Hubmann.