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1252959
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7/7/76 - Remarks Upon Arrival of Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K.
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1252959
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7/7/76 - Remarks Upon Arrival of Queen Elizabeth II of the U.K.
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President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
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American Revolution Bicentennial, 1776-1976
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1976-07-07
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1976
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1976-07-07
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 36, "7/7/76 - Remarks Upon Arrival of Queen
Elizabeth II of the U.K." of the President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 36 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN....
PRESIDENT'S REMARKS ON ARRIVAL OF
QUEEN ELIZABETH II
JULY 7, 1976
-1-
YOUR MAJESTY, YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESS, LADIES AND
GENTLEMEN:
ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, I AM DELIGHTED TO
WELCOME YOU TO THE UNITED STATES AND TO THE WHITE HOUSE
-2-
YOUR FIRST STATE VISIT TO AMERICA, IN 1957, MARKED
THE 350th ANNIVERSARY OF THE SETTLEMENT OF JAMESTOWN --
THE FIRST PERMANENT ENGLISH COLONY IN THIS NEW LAND
YOU HONOR US AGAIN BY COMING TO SHARE IN OUR
BICENTENNIAL OBSERVANCE AND THE NEW SPIRIT OF OPTIMISM AND
COOPERATION GENERATED BY THIS GREAT OCCASION
APRIVAL-
-3-
DURING THE 169 YEARS BETWEEN THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AT
JAMESTOWN AND OUR INDEPENDENCE, THIRTEEN COLONIES PROSPERED
PROTECTED BY THE BRITISH NAVY,
ENJOYING THE ADVANTAGES OF
BRITISH COMMERCE AND ADOPTING BRITISH CONCEPTS OF
REPRESENTATIVE SELF-GOVERNMENT
-4-
IN DECLARING INDEPENDENCE IN 1776, WE LOOKED FOR
GUIDANCE TO OUR BRITISH HERITAGE OF REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT
AND LAW
AS A SOVEREIGN NATION, WE HAVE KEPT AND
NURTURED THE MOST DURABLE BOND OF ALL
THE BOND OF IDEALISM
IN WHICH OUR NEW NATION WAS CONCEIVED
-5-
YOUR MAJESTY'S VISIT SYMBOLIZES OUR DEEP AND CONTINUING
COMMITMENT TO THE COMMON VALUES OF ANGLO-AMERICAN
CIVILIZATION
YOUR MAJESTY, FOR GENERATIONS OUR PEOPLES HAVE
WORKED TOGETHER AND FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE
-6-
AS DEMOCRACIES, WE CONTINUE OUR QUEST FOR PEACE AND
JUSTICE
THE CHALLENGES WE NOW FACE ARE DIFFERENT FROM
THOSE THAT WE HAVE CONFRONTED TOGETHER AND OVERCOME IN
THE PAST
-7-
AT STAKE IS THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRIALIZED DEMOCRACIES WHICH
HAVE SUSTAINED THEIR DESTINY IN COMMON FOR MORE THAN A
GENERATION
AT STAKE IS THE FURTHER EXTENSION OF THE
BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO ALL HUMANITY AND THE CREATION OF A
BETTER WORLD
-8-
AS NEW NATIONS
AND OLD
EACH SET THEIR POLITICAL
COURSE TO ACHIEVE THESE AIMS,
THE PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN DIGNITY
AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS SET FORTH IN THE MAGNA CARTA AND OUR
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE REMAIN TRULY REVOLUTIONARY
LANDMARKS
-9-
YOUR MAJESTY, THE WOUNDS OF OUR PARTING IN 1776
HEALED LONG AGO
AMERICANS ADMIRE THE UNITED KINGDOM
AS ONE OF OUR TRUEST ALLIES AND BEST FRIENDS
THERE COULD
BE NO MORE CONVINCING EVIDENCE OF THAT FRIENDSHIP THAN THE
SPLENDID BRITISH CONTRIBUTIONS AND PARTICIPATION ON THE
OCCASION OF OUR BICENTENNIAL
-10-
LAST MONTH, I WELCOMED TO THE WHITE HOUSE ROSE GARDEN
THE DISTINGUISHED DELEGATION OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT WHO
ESCORTED AN HISTORIC COPY OF THE MAGNA CARTA TO AMERICA
THE LOAN OF THIS DOCUMENT FOR OUR BICENTENNIAL IS A GESTURE
THAT WILL BRING PLEASURE AND INSPIRATION TO ALL WHO VIEW IT
-II-
YESTERDAY IN PHILADELPHIA, YOUR MAJESTY INAUGURATED
THE NEW BICENTENNIAL BELL,
A GIFT FROM THE PEOPLE OF BRITAIN
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES
INSCRIBED
"LET FREEDOM RING", IT WILL HANG IN THE BELL TOWER AT
INDEPENDENCE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK
12
WHEN I WAS IN PHILADELPHIA ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, I
THOUGHT WHAT A PERFECT COMPLEMENT THE NEW BELL WILL BE TO
OUR OWN LIBERTY BELL AND THE CENTENNIAL BELL IN INDEPENDENCE
HALL
FOR THESE GIFTS, AND MANY OTHERS WITH WHICH
BRITAIN HAS HONORED OUR HISTORIC CELEBRATION, THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE ARE DEEPLY GRATEFUL
-13-
ABOVE ALL, WE APPRECIATE THE PERSONAL HONOR YOU
HAVE so GRACIOUSLY DEMONSTRATED BY VISITING OUR SHORES
AT THIS SPECIAL MOMENT IN OUR HISTORY
DURING YOUR
VISIT, YOU WILL TRAVEL TO HALLOWED AMERICAN LANDMARKS
YOU WILL OBSERVE MANY CHANGES SINCE YOU WERE HERE LAST
-14-
BUT AS YOU TRAVEL THROUGH OUR LAND, 1 TRUST THAT YOU
WILL FIND SOMETHING ELSE IN THESE UNITED STATES:
A NEW SENSE OF UNITY,
OF FRIENDSHIP,
OF PURPOSE AND
TRANQUILITY
-14a-
SOMETHING WONDERFUL HAPPENED IN AMERICA THIS PAST
WEEKEND
A SPIRIT OF UNITY AND TOGETHERNESS,
DEEP WITHIN
THE AMERICAN SOUL,
SPRANG TO THE SURFACE IN A WAY THAT
WE HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN
-14b-
PEOPLE SHOWED AGAIN THAT THEY CARE
THAT THEY WANT TO LIVE
IN PEACE AND HARMONY WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS,
THAT THEY WANT
TO PULL TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THE NATION AND FOR THE GOOD
OF MANKIND
-14c-
THIS WEEKEND WE HAD A MARVELOUS REAFFIRMATION
OF THE AMERICAN SPIRIT, AND IN THE DAYS AHEAD,
WE WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SHARE THAT SPIRIT WITH YOU
-15-
DURING YOUR VISIT IN 1957, PRESIDENT EISENHOWER
REMARKED THAT AMERICA'S RESPECT FOR BRITAIN WAS SYMBOLIZED
IN OUR AFFECTION FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY
IT IS IN THIS
SPIRIT WE WELCOME YOUR MAJESTY'S VISIT AS A HAPPY OCCASION
FOR REAFFIRMING OUR JOINT DEDICATION TO FREEDOM,
PEACE,
DEMOCRACY AND THE WELL-BEING OF OUR PEOPLES
-16-
YOUR MAJESTY, AMERICA BIDS YOU, PRINCE PHILLIP
AND YOUR PARTY A MOST CORDIAL AND HEARTFELT WELCOME
END OF TEXT