Walter I. Farmer, the former US Army officer in the American occupation zone, earned special merits in 1945 regarding the preservation of important European cultural treasures for Germany and Europe when he prevented the strict order from Washington to remove valuable paintings, in particular from the collection of the Berlin Painting Gallery. With other "Officers for the Protection of Art" from the US Army stationed in Germany, he drafted the "Wiesbaden Manifest" in 1945, which lead to the fact that the treasures can still be admired in German museums, today. In 1996 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit.

In addition to the report on personal experiences, this autobiography is an important document of contemporary history. The book has an extensive appendix of documents and archives.