Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 3.djvu/887

 PROCLAMATION 7021—SEPT. 15, 1997 111 STAT. 2975 With equal devotion, the men and women of the Central Intelligence Agency have enabled America to meet the challenges of global leadership for the past half-century. Providing ten Presidents and their administrations with the strategic intelligence to make informed decisions vital to the security of our Nation, these dedicated public servants helped America to fight and win the Cold War. Today, in a world no longer burdened by superpower confrontation, they remain vigilant in the face of more diffuse and complex dangers: from aggression by rogue states and terrorism to the spread of weapons of mass destruction and international drug trafficking. In creating the National Security Council, the National Security Act of 1947 provided the President with an invaluable forum for the consideration and coordination of domestic, foreign, and military policies related to America's security. Supporting the President, his Cabinet, and his other close advisors with sound judgment, analysis, and advice, the men and women of the National Security Council can reflect with pride on five decades of unparalleled service to our Nation. Through the East-West confrontations of the Cold War to the threshold of the 21st century, the National Security Council has played a vital role in protecting our Nation's security and in preparing us for the challenges of the future. As we observe the 50th anniversary of the National Security Act of 1947, we pay tribute to the vision and determination of a generation of American civilian and military leaders. Working together, they established the remarkable institutions we celebrate this week; institutions that have helped to secure the peace and prosperity that America enjoys today. The success of their efforts and of the historic legislation enacted half a century ago is reflected in an outstanding record of achievement: nuclear war averted, the Cold War won, and the nations of the world turning to democracy and free markets. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 14 through September 20, 1997, as a time to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the National Security Act of 1947. I call upon all Americans to observe this anniversary with appropriate programs and activities celebrating the accomplishments of this legislation and honoring the service and sacrifice of the thousands of dedicated Americans who have strived to carry out its mandate for the past five decades. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-second. WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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