English subtitles for clip: File:Ich bin ein Berliner Speech (June 26, 1963) John Fitzgerald Kennedy trimmed.theora.ogv
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
1 00:00:00,525 --> 00:00:02,347 I am proud 2 00:00:04,272 --> 00:00:06,563 to come to this city 3 00:00:07,523 --> 00:00:10,555 as the guest of your distinguished Mayor, 4 00:00:11,554 --> 00:00:15,293 who has symbolized throughout the world 5 00:00:15,820 --> 00:00:18,569 the fighting spirit of West Berlin. 6 00:00:19,575 --> 00:00:21,779 And I am proud… 7 00:00:21,830 --> 00:00:27,726 (Loud greetings) 8 00:00:29,113 --> 00:00:32,108 And I'm proud to visit the Federal Republic 9 00:00:33,239 --> 00:00:35,314 with your distinguished Chancellor, 10 00:00:36,262 --> 00:00:41,220 who for so many years has committed Germany 11 00:00:41,264 --> 00:00:46,319 to democracy and freedom and progress, 12 00:00:46,786 --> 00:00:49,218 and to come here 13 00:00:49,235 --> 00:00:54,829 in the company of my fellow American, General Clay, 14 00:00:55,202 --> 00:01:01,585 (Loud greetings) (Applause) 15 00:01:02,452 --> 00:01:05,226 who has been in this city 16 00:01:05,259 --> 00:01:11,253 during its great moments of crisis and will come again if ever needed. 17 00:01:11,295 --> 00:01:16,806 (Loud greetings) 18 00:01:18,289 --> 00:01:21,972 (Applause) 19 00:01:24,508 --> 00:01:30,237 Two thousand years ago 20 00:01:30,271 --> 00:01:36,818 the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum." 21 00:01:37,389 --> 00:01:41,299 Today, in the world of freedom, 22 00:01:42,137 --> 00:01:47,253 the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner." 23 00:01:47,287 --> 00:01:52,790 (Loud greetings) (Applause) 24 00:01:53,161 --> 00:01:54,346 I… 25 00:01:56,311 --> 00:01:57,490 I… 26 00:01:58,186 --> 00:01:59,535 I appreciate... 27 00:01:59,990 --> 00:02:01,757 I appreciate 28 00:02:01,781 --> 00:02:04,255 my interpreter translating my German! 29 00:02:04,565 --> 00:02:09,269 (Loud greetings) 30 00:02:09,289 --> 00:02:14,485 (Applause) 31 00:02:18,273 --> 00:02:22,532 There are many people in the world 32 00:02:22,536 --> 00:02:27,329 who really don't understand, or say they don't, 33 00:02:27,340 --> 00:02:33,810 what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. 34 00:02:35,252 --> 00:02:37,812 Let them come to Berlin! 35 00:02:38,315 --> 00:02:42,456 (Loud greetings) 36 00:02:42,489 --> 00:02:45,815 (Applause) 37 00:02:45,865 --> 00:02:50,262 There are some who say 38 00:02:51,031 --> 00:02:54,854 that communism is the wave of the future. 39 00:02:54,876 --> 00:02:56,961 Let them come to Berlin! 40 00:02:57,010 --> 00:03:00,451 (Loud greetings) (Applause) 41 00:03:00,498 --> 00:03:06,752 And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere 42 00:03:06,810 --> 00:03:09,038 we can work with the Communists. 43 00:03:09,075 --> 00:03:11,331 Let them come to Berlin! 44 00:03:11,365 --> 00:03:16,598 (Loud greetings) (Applause) 45 00:03:16,809 --> 00:03:21,847 And there are even a few who say 46 00:03:22,524 --> 00:03:29,166 that it's true that communism is an evil system, 47 00:03:29,232 --> 00:03:33,522 but it permits us to make economic progress. 48 00:03:34,151 --> 00:03:38,503 Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen! Let them come to Berlin! 49 00:03:38,553 --> 00:03:42,498 (Very loud greetings) 50 00:03:44,553 --> 00:03:48,803 Freedom has many difficulties 51 00:03:49,503 --> 00:03:52,977 and democracy is not perfect, 52 00:03:53,647 --> 00:03:57,667 but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, 53 00:03:57,718 --> 00:03:59,715 to prevent them from leaving us. 54 00:03:59,748 --> 00:04:03,808 (Loud cheering) 55 00:04:03,828 --> 00:04:06,592 (Applause) 56 00:04:09,506 --> 00:04:13,244 I want to say, 57 00:04:13,278 --> 00:04:16,324 on behalf of my countrymen, 58 00:04:17,123 --> 00:04:22,520 who live many miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, 59 00:04:23,290 --> 00:04:29,241 who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride 60 00:04:29,998 --> 00:04:35,396 that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, 61 00:04:35,701 --> 00:04:38,797 the story of the last 18 years. 62 00:04:39,409 --> 00:04:44,199 I know of no town, no city, 63 00:04:44,217 --> 00:04:49,447 that has been besieged for 18 years 64 00:04:49,487 --> 00:04:54,875 that still lives with the vitality and the force, 65 00:04:54,910 --> 00:04:59,679 and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin. 66 00:04:59,711 --> 00:05:04,513 (Very loud cheerings) 67 00:05:04,561 --> 00:05:10,199 (Applause) 68 00:05:13,526 --> 00:05:16,015 While the wall 69 00:05:16,073 --> 00:05:21,297 is the most obvious and vivid demonstration 70 00:05:21,333 --> 00:05:24,963 of the failures of the Communist system, 71 00:05:24,979 --> 00:05:30,448 for all the world to see, we take no satisfaction in it, 72 00:05:30,483 --> 00:05:34,647 for it is, as your Mayor has said, 73 00:05:34,661 --> 00:05:40,248 an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, 74 00:05:40,782 --> 00:05:42,947 separating families, 75 00:05:42,982 --> 00:05:47,490 dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, 76 00:05:47,773 --> 00:05:51,520 and dividing a people who wish to be joined together. 77 00:05:51,697 --> 00:05:54,777 (Loud cheerings) 78 00:05:54,795 --> 00:05:57,953 (Applause) 79 00:05:58,007 --> 00:06:03,275 What is true of this city is true of Germany— 80 00:06:03,779 --> 00:06:10,140 real, lasting peace in Europe can never be assured 81 00:06:10,170 --> 00:06:14,160 as long as one German out of four 82 00:06:14,209 --> 00:06:18,108 is denied the elementary right of free men, 83 00:06:18,174 --> 00:06:21,108 and that is to make a free choice. 84 00:06:21,290 --> 00:06:27,039 In 18 years of peace and good faith, 85 00:06:27,475 --> 00:06:33,241 this generation of Germans has earned the right to be free, 86 00:06:33,837 --> 00:06:38,038 including the right to unite their families 87 00:06:38,046 --> 00:06:41,759 and their nation in lasting peace, 88 00:06:41,763 --> 00:06:44,205 with good will to all people. 89 00:06:44,235 --> 00:06:50,350 (Applause) (Cheerings) 90 00:06:55,000 --> 00:06:58,704 You live in a defended island of freedom, 91 00:06:58,770 --> 00:07:02,147 but your life is part of the main. 92 00:07:02,809 --> 00:07:05,542 So let me ask you, as I close, 93 00:07:05,959 --> 00:07:09,525 to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, 94 00:07:10,072 --> 00:07:12,706 to the hopes of tomorrow, 95 00:07:12,779 --> 00:07:16,474 beyond the freedom merely of this city of Berlin, 96 00:07:16,493 --> 00:07:22,108 or your country of Germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, 97 00:07:22,792 --> 00:07:27,802 beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, 98 00:07:28,224 --> 00:07:33,571 beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind. 99 00:07:34,497 --> 00:07:36,749 Freedom is indivisible, 100 00:07:36,815 --> 00:07:40,333 and when one man is enslaved, 101 00:07:40,351 --> 00:07:42,282 all are not free. 102 00:07:42,438 --> 00:07:44,728 When all are free, 103 00:07:44,765 --> 00:07:48,529 then we can look forward to that day 104 00:07:48,570 --> 00:07:51,047 when this city will be joined as one 105 00:07:51,074 --> 00:07:57,569 and this country, and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. 106 00:07:58,503 --> 00:08:02,766 When that day finally comes, as it will, 107 00:08:02,788 --> 00:08:08,230 the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction 108 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:14,544 in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades. 109 00:08:14,579 --> 00:08:16,600 (Applause) 110 00:08:16,634 --> 00:08:23,246 People: Bravo! (Cheers) (Applause) 111 00:08:30,141 --> 00:08:34,525 All free men, 112 00:08:34,575 --> 00:08:39,748 wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, 113 00:08:39,777 --> 00:08:41,766 and, therefore, 114 00:08:41,809 --> 00:08:43,743 as a free man, 115 00:08:43,763 --> 00:08:46,432 I take pride in the words 116 00:08:46,499 --> 00:08:48,848 "Ich bin ein Berliner!" 117 00:08:48,942 --> 00:08:54,523 (Greatest greetings) (Applause) 118 00:08:58,281 --> 00:09:01,700 People: Ken-ne-dy! Ken-ne-dy!