john f. kennedy 約翰.肯尼迪
ich bin ein berliner ("i am a 'berliner'")
delivered 26 june 1963, west berlin
演講者簡介：約翰·菲茨傑拉德·肯尼迪(john fitzgerald kennedy，1917年5月29日-1963年11月22日)，通常被稱作約翰·f·肯尼迪(john f. kennedy)、jfk或傑克·肯尼迪(jack kennedy)，美國第35任總統，他的任期從1961年1月20日開始到1963年11月22日在得克薩斯州達拉斯市遇刺身亡為止。他是在美國頗具影響力的肯尼迪政治家族的一員，被視為美國自由主義的代表。在第二次世界大戰期間，他曾在南太平洋英勇救助了落水海軍船員，因而獲頒紫心勳章。肯尼迪在 1946年-1960年期間曾先後任眾議員和參議員，並於1960年當選為美國總統，成為美國曆史上唯一信奉羅馬天主教的總統。
在他總統任期內的主要事件包括：試圖廢除聯邦儲備委員會、豬灣入侵、古巴導彈危機、柏林牆的建立、太空競賽、越南戰爭的早期活動以及美國民權運動。
在針對總統功績的排名中，肯尼迪通常被歷史學家列在排名中上的位置，但他卻一直被大多數美國人視為歷史上最偉大的總統之一。肯尼迪於1963年11 月22日在得克薩斯州達拉斯市遇刺身亡，官方在隨後的調查報告中公佈的結果表明，李·哈維·奧斯瓦爾德是刺殺總統的凶手。他的遇刺被視為對美國曆史的發展產生重大決定性影響的事件之一，因為這一事件在其後數十年中一直影響了美國政治的發展方向。
演講背景介紹：1961年8月12─l 3日夜間，東德政府築起柏林牆把東西柏林分開。起初它只是一道鐵絲網屏障，用來防止東德人逃往西德。但不久鐵絲網便被厚厚的水泥牆所取代，由哨兵巡邏警戒。柏林牆的醜惡存在提醒人們記住戰後東西歐的分割。許多意欲逃往西方的人在試圖跨越這條邊界時命歸黃泉。1963年甘乃迪總統訪問歐洲。6月26日成為他此行的高潮，那天他站在柏林牆前宣告：「ich bin ein berliner」──「我是一個柏林人。」
二十八年之後，1989年11月，東德政府開啟柏林牆，卻自相矛盾地阻止人們成群結隊越過匈牙利邊界從壓抑他們的社會逃出。就在那不平常的一年，東歐國家政權崩潰了。在整個歐洲乃至世界，人們為柏林牆的開放歡呼，把它看作冷戰結束的象徵。
i am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished mayor, who has symbolized throughout the world the fighting spirit of west berlin. and i am proud -- and i am proud to visit the federal republic with your distinguished chancellor who for so many years has committed germany to democracy and freedom and progress, and to come here in the company of my fellow american, general clay, who --
-- who has been in this city during its great moments of crisis and will come again if ever needed.
two thousand years ago -- two thousand years ago, the proudest boast was "civis romanus sum."¹ today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "ich bin ein berliner."
(i appreciate my interpreter translating my german.)
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 -- 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.
freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect. but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in -- to prevent them from leaving us. i want to say on behalf of my countrymen who live many miles away on the other side of the atlantic, who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride, that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years. i know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope, and the determination of the city of west berlin.
while the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the communist system -- for all the world to see -- we take no satisfaction in it; for it is, as your mayor has said, an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together.
what is -- what is true of this city is true of germany: real, lasting peace in europe can never be assured as long as one german out of four is denied the elementary right of free men, and that is to make a free choice. in 18 years of peace and good faith, this generation of germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation in lasting peace, with good will to all people.
you live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main. so let me ask you, as i close, to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom merely of this city of berlin, or your country of germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.
freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. when all are free, then we look -- can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great continent of europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. when that day finally comes, as it will, the people of west berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.
all -- 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."
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