“Ich bin ein Berliner” (”I am a Berliner”) is a quotation from the June 26, 1963 speech by U.S. President John F. Kennedy in West Berlin. The phrase was used to show solidarity with the West German people shortly after the Soviets constructed the Berlin Wall to prevent relations between East and West Germany.

This speech is considered the very best of John F. Kennedy and marks a notable moment in the Cold War. It served as a huge moral boost to West Berliners - who were living deep inside the Soviet territory of East Germany and clearly showed them the support being offered by the United States against Soviet Aggression.

Speaking from the balcony of Rathaus Schöneberg, Kennedy said,

Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis Romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’… All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words ‘Ich bin ein Berliner!’

This message of defiance was aimed as much at the Soviets as it was at Berliners, and was a clear statement of U.S. policy in the wake of the construction of the Berlin Wall. Many in the diplomatic community criticized the speech as it acknowledged the true reality of the situation in Berlin - which was in stark contrast to the official status of Berlin in its entirety being under the joint occupation of the four Allied Powers. This speech made it clear this was a nice falsehood that the world was living under and that East Berlin was in fact nothing more than another part of the Soviet bloc.

This bold move by Kennedy was decided by him in the final moments before the speech and to help him get the phraseology correct, he had a cue card prepared that showed the phrase and its phonetics to ensure that he pronounced it properly.

Here is a video of Kennedy delivering this famous speech.

This speech is part of the DVD: John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums