Message to the Congress Transmitting Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Arts and National Council on the Arts.

To the Congress of the United States:

I am pleased to. transmit to the Congress the Annual Report of the National Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts for the Fiscal Year 1974.

Our Nation has a diverse and extremely rich cultural heritage. It is a source of pride and strength to millions of Americans who look to the arts for inspiration, communication and the opportunity for creative self-expression.

This Annual Report reflects the role of the government in preserving this cultural legacy and encouraging fresh activity, in developing our cultural resources and making new connections between the arts and our people.

In September 1974, the National Council on the Arts celebrated its Tenth Anniversary, and I had the opportunity to congratulate the Council and this relatively new Federal agency on its success in creating interest in the Arts throughout the Nation.

I believe that the work of the National Council and the National Endowment for the Arts has been a great addition to our society in the United States and we can be very proud of it.

With the bicentennial of our Nation approaching soon, we shall need the creative gifts of our artists and the capabilities of our cultural institutions to help us celebrate this great anniversary.

It is my hope that every member of Congress will share my conviction that the arts are an important and integral part of our society. I hope that they will agree with my assessment of the importance to this Nation of the achievements of the Endowment.

GERALD R. FORD

The White House,

June 23, 1975.