[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 33, Number 41 (Monday, October 13, 1997)]
[Page 1538]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Proclamation 7035--Leif Erikson Day, 1997

October 9, 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.
    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.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:59 a.m., October 10, 
1997]

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