Proclamation 5038—Swedish-American Friendship Day, 1983

On April 3, 1783, Ambassador Extraordinary Gustav Philip Creutz, representing the King of Sweden, and Benjamin Franklin, Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce in Paris, France. In the Treaty, they pledged, "firm, inviolable and universal peace and a true and sincere friendship between the King, his heirs and successors, and the United States of America."

They could not then know how dramatically that friendship would flourish, and how closely mingled the fates and fortunes of the two lands would become. During the nineteenth century, thousands of Swedes joined the great current of Scandinavian migration to the United States. Once there, they helped push the frontier westward, achieving great successes in agriculture and industry. Their achievements constitute proud monuments to the Swedish-American heritage and to the development of our country.

Democratic ideals, a belief in ingenuity and hard work, concern for the individual, and free trade are among the many values and principles both countries share. Because of the extensive commerce and interchange of persons and ideas between Sweden and the United States, we have long enjoyed a deep understanding of each other.

For these reasons, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 64, has authorized and requested the President to proclaim April 4, 1983, as Swedish-American Friendship Day.

Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby designate April 4, 1983, as Swedish-American Friendship Day. I invite the people of the United States to honor the Bicentennial of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce that day by holding appropriate ceremonies and activities in suitable places throughout the land.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and seventh.

RONALD REAGAN