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President John F. Kennedy declares “Ich
bin ein Berliner” at Schoeneberg City Hall
in West Berlin, June 26, 1963. (AP)
bin ein Berliner” at Schoeneberg City Hall
in West Berlin, June 26, 1963. (AP)
On this Day: President Kennedy Declares ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’
June 26, 2008 12:10 AM
On June 26, 1963, in a speech before 120,000 citizens of Berlin, President John F. Kennedy declared “Ich bin ein Berliner,” meaning, “I am a Berliner.”
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After Hitler’s defeat and the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union lost much of their incentive to remain allies, and “competing ideologies and visions of the postwar world prevented U.S. president Harry S. Truman and Soviet premier Joseph Stalin from working together.”
The tension heightened when both Germany and the city of Berlin were divided into two halves: the Soviet-controlled East and the democratic, American-oriented West. By 1961, four million of East Berlin’s citizens had moved to the West, across the political boundary dividing the city. Trying to halt the exodus, the Soviet Union ordered the construction of a guarded wall between East and West Berlin.
U.S.-Soviet tensions continued to increase, and in 1963 President John F. Kennedy visited Germany to display American support for West Berlin.
“Greeted by ecstatic crowds who showered his entourage with flowers, rice and torn paper,” Kennedy gave one of his most memorable speeches, declaring: “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was ‘civis Romanus sum.’ Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”
His speech received warm praise from the largely German audience, but generated a worldwide urban legend that Kennedy had actually said “I am a jelly doughnut,” because the word “Berliner” in colloquial German refers to a type of pastry, as well as a resident of the city.
But Kennedy’s translator, Heinz Weber, said the crowd understood JFK’s message: “I am one of you.”
The tension heightened when both Germany and the city of Berlin were divided into two halves: the Soviet-controlled East and the democratic, American-oriented West. By 1961, four million of East Berlin’s citizens had moved to the West, across the political boundary dividing the city. Trying to halt the exodus, the Soviet Union ordered the construction of a guarded wall between East and West Berlin.
U.S.-Soviet tensions continued to increase, and in 1963 President John F. Kennedy visited Germany to display American support for West Berlin.
“Greeted by ecstatic crowds who showered his entourage with flowers, rice and torn paper,” Kennedy gave one of his most memorable speeches, declaring: “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was ‘civis Romanus sum.’ Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner.’”
His speech received warm praise from the largely German audience, but generated a worldwide urban legend that Kennedy had actually said “I am a jelly doughnut,” because the word “Berliner” in colloquial German refers to a type of pastry, as well as a resident of the city.
But Kennedy’s translator, Heinz Weber, said the crowd understood JFK’s message: “I am one of you.”
Headline Links: Kennedy visits Berlin
“In the summer of 1963, President Kennedy paid a memorable visit to West Berlin, the divided city deep inside communist East Germany.” The John F. Kennedy Library provides a description of the event and relevant photographs, including a photo of the note President Kennedy wrote to help himself pronounce “Ich bin ein Berliner” properly.
Source: John F. Kennedy Library
The President’s interpreter, Robert H Lochner, remembers the visit from wartime correspondent Edward Murrow and John F. Kennedy’s consequent trip to Germany. Lochner recounts, “As we walked up the stairs to the city hall in West Berlin for Kennedy’s major speech, he called me over and asked me to write on a piece of paper in German, ‘I am a Berliner.’”
Source: CNN
Video: Kennedy delivers ‘Berliner’ speech
The crowd erupted in approval after President John F. Kennedy delievered his memorable speech and declared “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Youtube provides video of Kennedy’s speech, given in eyesight of the Berlin Wall.
Source: YouTube
Historical Context: The Cold War
“In many ways, the Cold War began even before the guns fell silent in Germany and in the Pacific in 1945. Suspicion and mistrust had defined U.S.-Soviet relations for decades and resurfaced as soon as the alliance against Adolf Hitler was no longer necessary.” SparkNotes describes the origins of the Cold War and provides historical context to President Kennedy’s speech.
Source: SparkNotes
Opinion & Analysis: ‘I am a jelly doughnut’
The International Herald Tribune provides facts about John F. Kennedy’s 1963 “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech. Despite rumors of a language gaffe, the article says that “Kennedy’s German was perfectly correct.” Kennedy’s translater, Heinz Weber, says the audience understood that “What Kennedy wanted to say was “I am one of you. … I want to let you know that I will stand by your side.”
Source: International Herald Tribune
American Heritage analyzes the foreign policy implications of President Kennedy’s speech. “In his enthusiasm, Kennedy, who had just given a peace speech and was trying to work out a test ban treaty with the Soviets, had gotten carried away and just ad-libbed the opposite, saying there was no way to work with Communists.” The president exclaimed, “Oh, Christ,” upon realizing his mistake.
Source: American Heritage
Later Developments: Berlin Wall comes down, Germany honors Kennedy
“For nearly three decades, the Berlin Wall symbolized the Iron Curtain that separated East from West. But by 1989, the Wall was starting to crumble—and by the end of the year it would collapse.” CNN offers a timeline and description of the events leading up to the Wall’s destruction.
Source: CNN
On November 11, 2006, Germany opened a Kennedy Museum, “the first museum of its kind opened outside the U.S.” Time magazine reports, “Whether giggles today about his supposed gaffe are warranted or not, Berliners on that day knew exactly what he meant, and they loved him for it.”
Source: Time
Reference: Transcript of the ‘Berliner’ speech
PBS provides the text for President Kennedy’s speech. Kennedy spelled out his German phonetically on a notepad before the speech, but the proper spelling of the words appears here.
Source: PBS
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