Proclamation 3115—Columbus Day, 1955

Whereas Christopher Columbus, with a fleet of three vessels, daringly set sail upon an unknown sea and persevered until he landed upon a strange shore, thus discovering a new continent and a new world; and

Whereas appropriate recognition should be given to the memory of this great navigator, whose exploits have inspired other brave men throughout the centuries to seek those opportunities which lie beyond the horizon; and

Whereas October 12, 1492, the date of the sighting of land by Columbus' intrepid crew, marks the beginning of a new epoch in mankind's ever-widening search for a freer and a richer life; and

Whereas a grateful Congress, in appreciation of the debt we owe to Christopher Columbus, by a joint resolution approved April 30, 1934 (48 Stat. 657), requested the President to issue a proclamation designating October 12 of each year as Columbus Day:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate Wednesday, the twelfth day of October, 1955, as Columbus Day, and I direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all Government buildings on that day. I also invite our citizens to observe this anniversary with ceremonies designed to honor the discoverer of America.

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 tenth day of October in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eightieth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

By the President:

JOHN FOSTER DULLES,

Secretary of State