Message to the Congress Transmitting Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

To the Congress of the United States:

The cultural resources of our nation should be used to enrich as many lives and as many communities as possible. One way in which the Federal government advances this goal is by contributing to the work of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, of which the National Endowment for the Humanities is a part. This Fourth Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Humanities tells of progress which has been made toward this goal in the last year and underscores the importance of renewing and extending these efforts.

As I transmit this report to the Congress, I would stress again that a nation that would enrich the quality of life for its citizens must give systematic attention to its cultural development. Last December I sent a message to the Congress proposing that funds for the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities be approximately doubled. I emphasized that the role of government in this area is one of stimulating private giving and encouraging private initiative. It is my earnest hope that the Congress will respond positively to this request, so that such efforts as are described in this report can become a base for even greater successes in the future.

RICHARD NIXON

The White House

February 19, 1970