Proclamation 4657

By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation

In our country, loyalty has a deep and complex meaning. It does not refer to allegiance to the tenets of an ideological doctrine nor does it convey a blind faith in a single leader or political party. A respect for our flag is part of what we mean by loyalty, but the concept goes well beyond a reverence for our national symbols.

To the citizens of our country, loyalty means a devotion and a dedication to our democratic traditions of liberty and justice. It is an acknowledgement of our responsibilities and duties as citizens to nurture and preserve those freedoms. It also conveys a respect for our fellow citizens who have fought, and sometimes died, to establish and protect our country and our ideals.

To encourage the people of the United States to reflect on our democratic heritage and institutions, the Congress, by a joint resolution approved July 18, 1958 (72 Stat. 369) has designated May 1 of every year as Loyalty Day, and has requested the President to issue a proclamation inviting the people of the United States to observe that day with appropriate observances.

Now, THEREFORE, I, JIMMY CARTER, President of the United States of America, call upon all Americans to observe Tuesday, May 1, 1979, as Loyalty Day. I also ask the appropriate officials of the Government and all citizens to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings and other fitting places.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred seventy-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and third.

JIMMY CARTER

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 10:45 a.m., April 12, 1979]