Message to Albert, King of the Belgians, in Response to His Memorial Day Message of Friendship
I have received Your Majesty's gracious message. The tribute which you and the Belgian people are paying on Decoration Day to the memory of those American soldiers and sailors who gave their lives for the cause of justice and whose bodies rest in Belgium, echoes and resounds in every American heart with gratitude and affection for their Belgian comrades and friends. I and my fellow country men in dedicating this day to our own dead will be keenly mindful of your own country's great sacrifice and will bend our heads in silent prayer for Belgium's heroic dead.
HERBERT HOOVER
Note: The message was in response to the King's message, dated May 28, 1932, which follows:
Ever faithful to a tradition which is dear to them, my compatriots will, on the thirtieth of May, strew flowers upon the graves of the American soldiers who sleep in Belgian soil. They will thus show how vividly they still cherish in their hearts the memory of the brave comrades who fought by their sides.
On this solemn occasion, animated by a sentiment of sincere gratitude, we address to the great American people our most heartfelt wishes for their welfare and prosperity.
ALBERT
[To His Excellency The President of the United States]
Herbert Hoover, Message to Albert, King of the Belgians, in Response to His Memorial Day Message of Friendship Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/206998