Proclamation 6211—American Textile Industry Bicentennial Week, 1990

In marking the 200th anniversary of the establishment of the American textile industry, we are reminded of the important role this industry has played in the growth and competitiveness of our Nation's economy.

The United States has led all other countries in investment in state-of-the-art machinery for its textile industry, and today it is effectively meeting the challenge of intense foreign competition. Indeed, our commitment to technological improvements has contributed significantly to the strength and productivity of the textile industry. As a result, U.S. textile production continued to grow during the 1980s.

By investing nearly $18 billion in new plants and equipment during the past decade, the textile industry has prepared to meet the new challenges and opportunities of the 1990s -- including greater integration of the North American and European markets, economic reforms in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, and further progress in the elimination of trade barriers worldwide.

The Congress, by House Joint Resolution 518, has designated the week of October 13 through October 20, 1990 as "American Textile Industry Bicentennial Week" and has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of this week.

Now, Therefore, I, George Bush, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the week of October 13 through October 20, 1990, as American Textile Industry Bicentennial Week, I invite the American people to join with me in honoring the more than one million men and women who produce the fiber and fabrics of our Nation.

In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of October, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fifteenth.

GEORGE BUSH