John F. Kennedy, U.S President
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!" Kennedy supported West Berlin. This quote was said on June 26, 1963 in West Berlin near the Berlin Wall. In Kennedy's speech, he was trying to alleviate the Berliners, delivering a speech that electrified an adoring crowd gathered in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. He paid a tribute to the spirit of the Berliners and to their quest for freedom. The crowd roared with approval upon hearing the president's dramatic pronouncement, making them feel that the wall would be coming down soon.
Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Premier/leader
After Kennedy's speech and Khrushchev's reply, many East Germaners had crossed into West Germany. The Soviet Leader responded, not by force, but with the Berlin Wall. With his order, the Berlin Wall was built and Kennedy immediately called for a meeting with his allied political leaders to discuss the wall and how Berlin would result in the long run if this dispute between Communist and Democratic parties continued.
Statement by President John F. Kennedy on the
Statement by President John F.
Kennedy on the Berlin Wall, August 24, 1961
Statement regarding the Berlin Wall, by President John F. Kennedy,
Washington, D.C., August 24, 1961
. . . Sealing off the eastern sector of the city is . . . a direct violation
of the Soviet government's commitment to "the economic and political unity of
Germany" and the pledged word of the Soviet government to cooperate with the
allied governments "to mitigate the effects of the administrative division of
Germany and Berlin" by "facilitation of the movement of persons and goods and
the exchange of information" throughout Germany, including Berlin. . . .
The United States must serve a solemn warning to the Soviet Union that any
interference by the Soviet government or its East German regime with free
[allied] access to West Berlin would be an aggressive act for the consequences
of which the Soviet government would bear full
responsibility
Statement by President John F.
Kennedy on the Berlin Wall, August 24, 1961
Statement regarding the Berlin Wall, by President John F. Kennedy,
Washington, D.C., August 24, 1961
. . . Sealing off the eastern sector of the city is . . . a direct violation
of the Soviet government's commitment to "the economic and political unity of
Germany" and the pledged word of the Soviet government to cooperate with the
allied governments "to mitigate the effects of the administrative division of
Germany and Berlin" by "facilitation of the movement of persons and goods and
the exchange of information" throughout Germany, including Berlin. . . .
The United States must serve a solemn warning to the Soviet Union that any
interference by the Soviet government or its East German regime with free
[allied] access to West Berlin would be an aggressive act for the consequences
of which the Soviet government would bear full
responsibility