Is it true that John Kennedy, speaking in Germany, mistakenly called himself a Berlin donut?

According to a common version, in his landmark speech in 1963 in West Berlin, the American president inaccurately used the German article, calling himself not a Berliner, but a kind of baked goods. We checked whether such an error actually occurred.

We're talking about the famous speech John Fitzgerald Kennedy on June 26, 1963, in front of the Schöneberg City Hall in what was then West Berlin. Kennedy expressed his support to local residents after the construction of the Berlin Wall by the communist regime of the GDR, designed to prevent the mass migration of citizens of the socialist country to the capitalist world. The key emotional moment of the speech were the words Ich bin ein Berliner, which were supposed to mean “I am a Berliner.” However, how reports historian and journalist Vladimir Abarinov on Radio Liberty, “there are no politicians who never make a reservation”: “A textbook example is the phrase John Kennedy said against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall on June 26, 1963: “Ich bin ein Berliner,” the president said in German, wanting to say: “I am a Berliner.” The article “ein” was not needed; in this form the phrase is translated as “I am a Berliner,” that is, a Berlin donut with jam.”

Similar information can be found in the articles in "Novaya Gazeta", "Kommersant", RBC and other authoritative publications, as well as on various culinary sites. Kennedy's supposed slip of the tongue has become commonplace, with writers Carl Friedman mentioning it in their best-selling books (“Two suitcases of memories"), David Foster Wallace ("Infinite Jest") and Karl-Johann Wallgren ("Walking with Kafka").

John Kennedy's speech to an audience of 120,000 is still considered one of the most striking events of the Cold War. Reminds me of him today memorial plaque near the main entrance to the Schöneberg Town Hall, as well as coins different countries. The words Ich bin ein Berliner were spoken by the American President twice: at the beginning of his speech, he cited this phrase as an example of a proud statement in the current free world, and at the end he already expressed it on his own behalf, as if joining the progressive masses. At the same time, as reported sources, Kennedy was dissatisfied with the draft version of his speech and rewrote it. As for the German-language phrase, according to one version, the American President appealed for its correct compilation to Robert Lochner, the chief translator for the group of American troops in Germany after World War II. Lochner, who can truly be called a Berliner (he grew up in this city), knew German very well and gave Kennedy some advice phonetic version statements. Another translator, Ted Sorensen, in his autobiography claimedthat it was he who translated the phrase for Kennedy, and did it much earlier. However, modern historians refute his point of view: the last printed draft of the speech, prepared with the participation of Sorensen, does not contain German text (although the phrase appears in a separately printed collection), and the postscript on it done already by Kennedy's hand:

Now about grammar. Indeed, if a person wants to say that he is a Berliner (in the literal sense), then the phrase in German will sound like “Ich bin Berliner”. However, this does not make the phrase "Ich bin ein Berliner" inappropriate or incorrect - according to rules In German, the indefinite article can be omitted when talking about a person’s profession or origin, but it is needed when the statement has a figurative meaning. So, in fact, the translator of John Kennedy acted subtly - in his formulation, the president called himself a Berliner in spirit. As an example in the Russian language, we can cite the word “Spartan” that went beyond the scope of geography - the difference is that in the case of Kennedy this technique was spontaneous, situational. 

As for Berlin donuts, this dish with a sweet filling actually exists, and in the west of Germany it is, indeed, often referred to as Berliner - short for Berliner Pfannkuchen (literally “Berlin pancake”):

However, it often happens that the same product is called differently in different regions. As can be seen from this cards, the delicacy has five names in Germany. In particular, in Berlin and its surroundings the dish is simply called Pfannkuchen (“pancake”, “pancake” or in some cases “doughnut”). Therefore, the majority of Berliners simply could not misunderstand Kennedy. In addition, the general laughter, which some sources mention as a reaction to the president’s phrase, did not come after the words in German (they were met a flurry of applause), followed by Kennedy jokingly thanking the translator for duplicating his words.

After everything we've learned, a fair question might arise: Where did the Berlin donut joke come from? One of the most likely sources of misconception is the novel “Game in Berlin” by the classic of spy literature Len Deighton, published in 1983. There's one there episode: “Ich bin ein Berliner,” I said. It was a joke. Berliner is a donut. The day after President Kennedy made his famous statement, Berlin cartoonists had a blast drawing talking donuts.”

The statement of the fictional character is a dubious source, to put it mildly. However, soon a columnist for an influential newspaper The New York Times in his review of the novel, he managed to make this statement in all seriousness, without any obvious hints of quoting Deighton. Listing the city's attractions, he wrote: "Here President Kennedy announced: 'Ich bin ein Berliner' - and thereby made the townspeople laugh, because in the local language Berliner is a donut."

And this, apparently, was the key mistake in our entire history. Because five years have passed, and another New York Times columnist shared similar information in article, which had nothing to do with fiction. Then this wave could no longer be stopped, and the misconception was repeated in subsequent years by such authoritative media as The Guardian, Time, CNN And BBC. It even ended up in a sensational book by prominent historian Robert Dallek "An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917–1963". Nevertheless, modern experts argue that the legend itself is erroneous, and not the words of the 35th President of the United States.

Fake

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on topic:

1. Expert Weighs In On Major U.S. Speeches in Berlin
2. Did John F. Kennedy Proclaim Himself to Be a Jelly Doughnut?