Explain what John F. Kennedy meant when he said, "Ich bin ein Berliner," and comment on how his statement reflects the geopolitics of the time.

By not leaving out the indefinite article "ein," he supposedly changed the meaning of the sentence from the intended "I am a citizen of Berlin" to "I am a Berliner" (a Berliner being a type of German pastry, similar to a jelly doughnut), amusing Germans throughout the city.