CHILD HEALTH DAY, 1949

WHEREAS the Congress, by joint resolution of May 18, 1928 (45 Stat. 617), has authorized and requested the President to issue annually a proclamation setting apart May 1 as Child Health Day; and

WHEREAS every citizen should do his utmost toward safeguarding and improving the health of the Nation's children:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate May 1, 1949, as Child Health Day; and I invite all agencies, organizations, and citizens interested in the physical and mental well-being of children to consider on that day how best to promote in their own communities during the coming year definite programs of action designed to help our children to grow into healthy and responsible individuals dedicated to the principles of democracy.

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 16th day of April in the year of our Lord

nineteen hundred and forty[SEAL] nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third. HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:

DEAN ACHESON,

Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2836

MOTHER'S DAY, 1949

WHEREAS our loftiest national ideals stem in large measure from those high principles which American mothers teach by example and devotion in their daily lives; and

WHEREAS the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914 (38 Stat. 770), formalized the happy custom of commemorating motherhood on the second Sunday in May of each year; and

WHEREAS in accordance with the dictates of our hearts we have set that day aside for manifestations of our love and reverence for all mothers of the land:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby request the observance of Sunday, May 8, 1949, as Mother's Day, and I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all Government buildings on that day. I also call upon the people of the Nation to display the flag at their homes or other suitable places on Mother's Day, 1949, as a public demonstration of the esteem in which we hold our mothers, and I urge that renewed expressions of affection be tendered mothers on that day.

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 27th day of April in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-nine and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third.

[SEAL]

By the President:

HARRY S. TRUMAN

DEAN ACHESON, Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2837

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY, 1949 WHEREAS the economic welfare and the national security of the United States are strengthened by our Merchant Marine; and

WHEREAS deficiencies in the Merchant Marine are now being overcome by the construction of the first passenger vessels to be built in this country since the end of hostilities in World War II; and

WHEREAS the present role of marine transportation invests with momentous significance the feat of the steamship Savannah, which sailed from Savannah, Georgia, on May 22, 1819, on the first successful transoceanic voyage under steam propulsion; and

874654-50- 4

WHEREAS the Congress, by a joint resolution approved May 20, 1933 (48 Stat. 73), designated May 22 as National Maritime Day in commemoration of that historic achievement and requested the President to issue a proclamation calling for the observance of the day; and

WHEREAS in the present year May 22 falls on Sunday, it is fitting and proper that the celebration of National Maritime Day take place on Monday, May 23:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our Merchant Marine on Monday, May 23, 1949, by flying the flag of the United States at their homes or other suitable places.

I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to arrange for the display of the flag on all Government buildings, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship, on Monday, May 23, 1949, in honor of National Maritime Day.

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 7th day of May in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty[SEAL] nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third. HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President: DEAN ACHESON,

Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2838

UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA-SUSPENSION OF

TONNAGE DUTIES

WHEREAS section 4228 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as amended by the act of July 24, 1897, c. 13, 30 Stat. 214 (U. S. C., title 46, sec. 141), provides, in part, as follows:

Upon satisfactory proof being given to the President, by the government of any foreign nation, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or imposts are imposed or levied in the ports of such nation upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the United States or from any foreign country, the President may issue his proclamation, declaring that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the United States are suspended and discon

AND WHEREAS satisfactory proof was received by me from the Government of the Union of South Africa on April 19, 1949, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or imposts are imposed or levied in the ports of the Union of South Africa upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in such vessels, from the United States, or from any foreign country:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the above-quoted statutory provisions, do hereby declare and proclaim that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and imposts within the United States are suspended and discontinued so far as respects the vessels of the Union of South Africa and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in said vessels into the United States from the Union of South Africa or from any other foreign country; the suspension to take effect from April 19, 1949, and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels belonging to citizens of the United States and their cargoes shall be continued, and no longer.

IN TESTIMONY 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 19th day of May, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and forty-nine [SEAL] and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third.

By the President:

HARRY S. TRUMAN

DEAN ACHESON, Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2839

ISRAEL-SUSPENSION OF TONNAGE DUTIES WHEREAS section 4228 of the Revised Statutes of the United States, as

amended by the act of July 24, 1897, c. 13, 30 Stat. 214 (U. S. C., title 46, sec. 141), provides, in part, as follows:

Upon satisfactory proof being given to the President, by the government of any foreign nation, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or imposts are imposed or levied in the ports of such nation upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in the same from the United States or from any foreign country, the President may issue his proclamation, declaring that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and impost within the United States are suspended and discontinued, so far as respects the vessels of such foreign nation, and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported into the United States from such foreign nation, or from any other foreign country; the suspension to take effect from the time of such notification being given to the President, and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels, belonging to citizens of the United States, and their cargoes, shall be continued, and no longer . . . ;

AND WHEREAS satisfactory proof was received by me from the Government of Israel on April 18, 1949, that no discriminating duties of tonnage or imposts are imposed or levied in the ports of Israel upon vessels wholly belonging to citizens of the United States, or upon the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in such vessels, from the United States, or from any foreign country:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Harry S. Truman, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the above-quoted statutory provisions, do hereby declare and proclaim that the foreign discriminating duties of tonnage and imposts within the United States are suspended and discontinued so far as respects the vessels of Israel and the produce, manufactures, or merchandise imported in said vessels into the United States from Israel or from any other foreign country; the suspension to take effect from April 18, 1949, and to continue so long as the reciprocal exemption of vessels belonging to citizens of the United States and their cargoes shall be continued, and no longer.

IN TESTIMONY 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 19th day of May, in the year of our

Lord nineteen hundred and [SEAL] forty-nine and of the Independence of the United States

PROCLAMATION 2840

DEATH OF JAMES FORRESTAL

To the People of the United States:

It has become my sad duty to announce officially the death of James Forrestal, formerly Secretary of Defense in the Government of the United States, who died at the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, at 2 a. m. on the 22nd day of May, 1949.

Mr. Forrestal served with devotion and great distinction as Administrative Assistant to the President of the United States, as Under Secretary and Secretary of the Navy, and finally as the nation's first Secretary of Defense. He exhausted his strength by his unremitting labors in the burdensome duties of these offices during the war and the critical years which have followed the end of hostilities. His tragic death came as a shock to his friends, and a great loss to the people of the United States, whom he had served so well and faithfully.

As a mark of respect to Mr. Forrestal's memory, it is hereby ordered that the national flag be displayed at half-mast upon all public buildings and at all forts and military posts and naval stations, and on all vessels of the United States, until after the funeral shall have taken place.

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 twenty-second day of May, in the year

of our Lord nineteen hundred [SEAL] forty-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventythird.

By the President:

JAMES E. WEBB,

HARRY S. TRUMAN

Acting Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2841

FLAG DAY, 1949

WHEREAS the American flag, which has become the symbol of our freedom,

was adopted by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777; and

WHEREAS it is our custom to observe June 14 each year with ceremonies designed not only to commemorate the birth of our flag but also to rededicate ourselves to the ideals for which it stands; and

WHEREAS this beloved emblem, which flies above all our people of whatever creed or race, signalizes our respect for human rights and the protection such rights are afforded under our form of government:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby ask that on Flag Day, June 14, 1949, the people of the Nation honor our colors by displaying them at their homes or other suitable places and by giving thanks for their privileges as citizens under this flag, as well as by engaging in earnest contemplation of the obligations inherent in citizenship. I also direct the appropriate officials of the Government to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Flag Day.

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 24th day of May in the year of our Lord

nineteen hundred and forty[SEAL] nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and seventy-third. HARRY S. TRUMAN

By the President:

JAMES E. WEBB,

Acting Secretary of State.

PROCLAMATION 2842

PRAYER FOR PEACE, MEMORIAL DAY, 1949

On Memorial Day each year it is our custom to pay homage to our heroic dead who have sacrificed their lives in the cause of liberty and peace.

This sacred day is a fitting occasion on which the people of our Nation, all of whom, directly or indirectly, have been bereft by war's terrible toll, may appeal to Almighty God for help in turning the steps of the world to the paths of permanent peace.

These paths are long and tortuous, and thus far mankind has not had the wisdom to find the way to an enduring peace.

We are humbly aware that only through divine guidance can we hope to attain the understanding necessary for averting wars and achieving a peaceful world.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, pursuant to a resolution of the Congress approved May 26, 1949, do hereby call upon the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 1949, by praying, each in accordance with his religious faith, for a permanent peace. And I designate the hour beginning at eleven o'clock in the morning of that day, Eastern Daylight Saving Time, as a period in which all our people may unite in prayer for a permanent peace, and for the bestowal of wisdom and patience, to the end that we may be instruments of God in achieving and preserving harmony on earth.

I also request the newspapers, radio stations, and all other media of information to join in the observance of Memorial Day, 1949, as a day of prayer for peace, and in the collective Nation-wide prayer on the morning of that day.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

WHEREAS the Trade Agreement with Argentina of October 14, 1941, as proclaimed by Proclamation of October 31, 1941 (56 Stat 1685), as supplemented by Proclamation of December 11, 1942 (56 Stat 1752), contains in the annexed Schedule II thereof, an item 762 and a proviso to the same effect as that above set out, except that consultation with the Argentine Government is referred to instead of with the Government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay; and

WHEREAS the aforesaid Trade Agreements are now in force;

NOW, THEREFORE, with a view to making applicable to flaxseed the rate of duty of 50 cents per bushel of 56 pounds on the thirtieth day following this proclamation, as provided for in said Trade Agreements, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, acting under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes, including section 350 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and after consultation with the Government of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and with the Argentine Government, do proclaim that the abnormal situation in respect of the trade in flaxseed which is referred to in the aforementioned trade agreement provisions has terminated.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

PATRICK HENRY WEEK, 1949

WHEREAS Patrick Henry, with surpassing eloquence, kindled in many of his countrymen that love of political freedom which burns today in the hearts of the American people; and

WHEREAS his ringing insistence, in the Virginia convention of 1788, on constitutional protection for the rights of individuals was one of the chief factors which induced the First Congress of the United States to prepare the Bill of Rights and submit it to the States for their approval; and

WHEREAS June 6, 1949, marks the sesquicentennial of the death of this gifted pioneer in our early struggle for independence; and

WHEREAS the Congress by a joint resolution approved June 8, 1949, authorizes and requests the President to issue a proclamation calling for the celebration of the week in which June 6, 1949, occurs as Patrick Henry Week, in observance of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the death of Patrick Henry:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, HARRY S. TRUMAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby invite the people of the United States to observe the week beginning Sunday, June 5, 1949, as Patrick Henry Week, with religious and civic ceremonies commemorative of the achievements of this great American in the cause of liberty. I also direct the appropriate officials of the Federal Government to arrange for the display of the flag on all Government buildings during Patrick Henry Week, in order that our citizens may be reminded of this anniversary and may reflect on its significance in the annals of our freedom-loving country.