John F. Kennedy, Berlin, Germany (June 26, 1963)
Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961 (Photo Source: JFK Presidential Library and Museum
Construction of the Berlin Wall began on August 13, 1961.
“There are many people in the world who really don’t understand, or say they don’t, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass’sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.”
Source: “The Cold War in Berlin,” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
President John F. Kennedy (1961)
Nearly two years later, Kennedy traveled to the divided city and gave one of his most memorable speeches, most famous for the phrase he used: “Ich bin ein Berliner.”
A card he held had the words spelled phonetically.
President Kennedy used this handwritten note card while delivering his speech to the people of Berlin on June 26, 1963 at Rudolph Wilde Platz. On it he phonetically spelled German phrases from his speech, including “Ish bin ein Bearleener” Source: JFK Library and Museum
