Why Ich Bin Ein Berliner?

It's worth recalling, again, President John F. Kennedy's use of a German phrase while standing before the Berlin Wall. It would be great, his wordsmiths thought, for him to declare himself a symbolic citizen of Berlin. Hence, Ich bin ein Berliner.

When was Ich bin ein Berliner given?

Kennedy's declaration to a rapt audience of nearly a half million in front of West Berlin's city hall on June 26, 1963: “Ich bin ein Berliner,” or, “I am a Berliner.”

Who gave the Ich bin ein Berliner speech?

President John F. Kennedy expresses solidarity with democratic German citizens in a speech on June 26, 1963. In front of the Berlin Wall that separated the city into democratic and communist sectors, he declared to the crowd, “Ich bin ein Berliner” or “I am also a citizen of Berlin.”