[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 198 (Tuesday, October 14, 1997)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 53525-53526]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27399]



[[Page 53523]]

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Part V





The President





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Proclamation 7035--Leif Erikson Day, 1997

Proclamation 7036--General Pulaski Memorial Day, 1997
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  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 198 / Tuesday, October 14, 1997 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 53525]]

                Proclamation 7035 of October 9, 1997

                
 Leif Erikson Day, 1997

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Americans have always been a people marked by a spirit 
                of discovery. Generations of American explorers and 
                pioneers have pushed against the boundaries of the 
                known world, eager to see what lies beyond the next 
                horizon. We come by that spirit naturally, for millions 
                of us are descended from men and women of courage, 
                vision, and independence who left their native lands to 
                seek new possibilities in a new world.

                One of the earliest of these was Leif Erikson. Almost a 
                thousand years ago, braving the cold and unforgiving 
                North Atlantic, he set out on a voyage that would 
                ultimately bring him to this continent and a lasting 
                place in history. But Leif Erikson is more than a 
                symbol of the pioneer spirit. He is also a powerful 
                reminder of the long and proud history of the sons and 
                daughters of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and 
                Finland who endured the hardships of the American 
                frontier to build a new life for themselves and their 
                families. These immigrants from the Nordic countries, 
                and their descendants, have contributed immeasurably to 
                America's strength, character, prosperity, and 
                independent spirit.

                Today, the people of Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, 
                and Finland are our partners in building a new Europe. 
                Committed to democracy and self-determination, they 
                have always reached out to those struggling for freedom 
                and equality. We are proud to join them in fostering 
                the integration of the Baltic countries of Estonia, 
                Latvia, and Lithuania into the Western family of 
                nations. We also look forward to joining our Nordic 
                friends in celebrating in the year 2000 the millennial 
                anniversary of Leif Erikson's momentous voyage to our 
                shores. It is fitting that we should pay special 
                tribute to Leif Erikson--son of Iceland, grandson of 
                Norway--as we begin our own uncharted journey of 
                discovery into the new millennium that stretches before 
                us.

                In honor of Leif Erikson and of our Nordic-American 
                heritage, the Congress, by joint resolution approved on 
                September 2, 1964 (Public Law 88-566), has authorized 
                and requested the President to proclaim October 9 of 
                each year as ``Leif Erikson Day.''

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the 
                United States of America, do hereby proclaim October 9, 
                1997, as Leif Erikson Day. I encourage the people of 
                the United States to observe this occasion with 
                appropriate ceremonies and activities commemorating our 
                rich Nordic-American heritage.

[[Page 53526]]

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen 
                hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of 
                the United States of America the two hundred and 
                twenty-second.

                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 97-27399
Filed 10-10-97; 10:59 am]
Billing code 3195-01-P