The Federal Republic's rapprochement with the U.S. in matters of foreign policy and security was accompanied by a cultural rapprochement: West Germany became "Americanized" at the same time that it "Americanized" itself. Here, publications like Der Spiegel played a fundamental educational role by informing people about the history, styles, and major figures in jazz. Sometimes these publications even introduced their readers to particular jazz artists such as one of its greatest voices, Ella Fitzgerald.