[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 40 (Monday, October 11, 1993)]
[Pages 2036-2037]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 6607--Leif Erikson Day, 1993

 October 8, 1993

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    At this time every year, Americans celebrate Leif Erikson Day. In so 
doing, we commemorate the voyages of the great Norse ex- 

[[Page 2037]]

plorer who first set foot on North America nearly a thousand years ago. 
At the same time, we also celebrate the enduring ties between America 
and the Nordic countries and take note of the outstanding contributions 
that Nordic Americans have made to the United States. In a sense, the 
bonds that Leif Erikson--son of Iceland, grandson of Norway--forged 
continue unbroken today. We maintain an impressive exchange of people 
and ideas with the Nordic countries.
    The early settlers inherited an adventurous spirit that had led 
their ancestors from Scandinavia to much of Europe and into the 
Atlantic. In addition, these adventurers started from lands that were 
already halfway points between the Old World and the New. Even today, 
the Nordic countries, which possess a commitment to open, democratic 
societies and to peaceful relations among nations, serve as links 
between Europe and the rest of the world.
    At a time when the relations between Europe and America are being 
redefined, the Nordic countries retain their important role in fostering 
democracy, transatlantic cooperation, and an open trading system. Their 
many contributions to international diplomacy, humanitarian assistance, 
and peacekeeping in the world's trouble spots set a high standard that 
the rest of the world greatly admires. Americans who trace their roots 
to the Nordic countries--Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden--
not only continue to enrich their new homeland, but also play a key part 
in providing a link across the Atlantic, just as their ancestors did a 
thousand years ago.
    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, 1993, as Leif Erikson 
Day. I also encourage the people of the United States to observe this 
occasion by learning more about our rich Nordic-American heritage and 
the early history of our continent.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of 
October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-three, and 
of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and 
eighteenth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 3:35 p.m., October 12, 
1993]

Note: This proclamation will be published in the Federal Register  on 
October 14.