H. Res. 597 In the House of Representatives of the United States, January 29, 1964. Resolved, That there be printed 5,000 copies of the late President John Fitzgerald Kennedy's Thanksgiving Proclamation for 1963 as a House Document. Attest: RALPH R. ROBERTS, Clerk. Thanksgiving Day, 1963 [3560] BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A Proclamation Over three centuries ago, our forefathers in Virginia and in Massachusetts, far from home in a lonely wilderness, set aside a time of thanksgiving. On the appointed day, they gave reverent thanks for their safety, for the health of their children, for the fertility of their fields, for the love which bound them together and for the faith which united them with their God. So too when the colonies achieved their independence, our first President in the first year of his first Administration proclaimed November 26, 1789, as "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God" and called upon the people of the new republic to "beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgres... to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue . . . and generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best." sions . . And so too, in the midst of America's tragic civil war, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November 1863 as a day to renew our gratitude for America's "fruitful fields," for our "national strength and vigor," and for all our "singular deliverances and blessings." Much time has passed since the first colonists came to rocky shores and dark forests of an unknown continent, much time since President Washington led a young people into the experience of nationhood, much time since President Lincoln saw the American nation through the ordeal of fraternal war-and in these years our population, our plenty and our power have all grown apace. Today we are a nation of nearly two hundred million souls, stretching from coast to coast, on into the Pacific and north toward the Arctic, a nation enjoying the fruits of an ever-expanding agriculture and industry and achieving standards of living unknown in previous history. We give our humble thanks for this. Yet, as our power has grown, so has our peril. Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers— for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them. Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessingslet us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals-and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world. Now, THEREFORE, I, JOHN F. KENNEDY, President of the United States of America, in consonance with the joint resolution of the Congress approved December 26, 1941, 55 Stat. 862 (5 U.S.C. 87b), designating the fourth Thursday of November in each year as Thanksgiving Day, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 28, 1963, as a day of national thanksgiving. On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this fourth day of November, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eighty-eighth. [SEAL] By the President: DEAN RUSK JOHN F. KENNEDY Secretary of State. SSTH CONGRESS 2d Session } HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENT AMENDMENT TO THE REQUEST FOR APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE FEDERAL AVIATION AGENCY COMMUNICATION FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TRANSMITTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE REQUEST FOR APPROPRIATIONS TRANSMITTED IN THE BUDGET FOR 1965 FOR THE FEDERAL AVIATION AGENCY. THIS AMENDMENT WOULD PROVIDE APPROPRIATIONS OF $75 MILLION EACH FOR THE FISCAL YEARS 1965 AND 1966 APRIL 23, 1964.-Referred to the Committee on Appropriations and ordered to be printed THE WHITE HOUSE, Washington, April 23, 1964. The SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. SIR: I have the honor to transmit herewith for the consideration of the Congress an amendment to the request for appropriations transmitted in the budget for 1965 for the Federal Aviation Agency. This amendment would provide appropriations of $75 million each for the fiscal years 1965 and 1966. The details of this amendment, the necessity therefor, and the reasons for its submission at this time are set forth in the attached letter from the Director of the Bureau of the Budget, with whose comments and observations thereon I concur. Respectfully yours, LYNDON B. JOHNSON. THE PRESIDENT, EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET, Washington, D.C., April 21, 1964. SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith for your consideration an amendment to the request for appropriations transmitted in the budget for 1965 for the Federal Aviation Agency. This amendment would provide appropriations of $75 million each for the fiscal years 1965 and 1966. The detail of the proposal is as follows: Fiscal year 1966.. (Insert the following paragraph under this For grants-in-aid for airports pursuant to the pro- $75,000,000 $75,000,000 75, 000, 000 This proposed amendment is to finance grants to local public agencies for the construction and improvement of public airports. Recently enacted legislation extends this program and authorizes appropriations of $75 million for each of the fiscal year 1965, 1966, and 1967. The 1966 appropriation would not become available for obligation until July 1, 1965, but early provision of this sum will facilitate advance planning of long leadtime projects by local com munities. A tentative estimate of $75 million for 1965 was included in the budget and therefore this formal amendment does not increase the budget totals. I recommend that the foregoing amendment to the budget for the fiscal year 1965 be transmitted to the Congress. Respectfully yours, KERMIT GORDON, Director of the Bureau of the Budget. о |