Proclamation 3137—Flag Day, 1956

Whereas it has become the custom of the people of the United States to set aside June 14 of each year for the commemoration of the adoption of the Stars and Stripes as our national flag by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777; and

Whereas it is highly appropriate that on that day we should contemplate the meaning of this flag which we honor and cherish and under which we serve; and

Whereas this glorious emblem symbolizes the high resolution of our forebears that they would leave to posterity a Nation founded upon the principles of freedom and justice; and

Whereas, in order to fulfill the responsibilities and to enjoy the privileges inherent in our priceless heritage, it is fitting that we should rededicate ourselves on that commemorative day to the perpetuation of those lofty principles; and

Whereas the Congress, by a joint resolution approved August 3, 1949 (63 Stat. 492), has formally designated June 14 as Flag Day and has requested the President to issue annually a proclamation calling for the observance of that day:

Now, Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States of America, do hereby direct that the flag of the United States be displayed on all Government buildings on Flag Day, Thursday, June 14, 1956, and I call upon the people to observe that day with special ceremonies designed to give expression to our love for our country's flag and our reverence for the ideals for which it stands.

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 first day of June in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and fifty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and eightieth.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

By the President:

HERBERT HOOVER, Jr.,

Acting Secretary of State