Letter from Governor J. Millard Tawes of Maryland to President Dwight D. Eisenhower Suggesting the Display of the New Flag at 12:01 a.m., July 4, 1959, at Fort McHenry

EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND r J. MILLARD TAWES 12 February 1959 GOVERNOR THE WHITE HOUSE FEB 13 9 29 AM '59 The Honorable Dwight D. Eisenhower RECEIVED President of the United States The White House Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. President: At dawn on July Fourth next, our flag, containing the field of forty-nine stars, may be hoisted legally to its masthead. During the night of September 12, 1814, Francis Scott Key, a young attorney, watched the bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore harbor. As he stood on the deck of a British Man-of-War, the first light of day revealed the Stars and Stripes flying triumphantly over the Fort. Then it was that he penned the verses which were des- tined to become our National Anthem. By Act of Congress, the flag of our great Nation is auth- orized to fly both day and night at this historic site. 107/01-Q I trust that you will agree with me that it would be most appropriate for you, as President of the United States and Commander-1 - in- Chief of the Armed Forces, to issue a proclamation authorizing the new flag to be raised into position at Fort McHenry at one minute after twelve on the morning of Saturday, July Fourth, Nineteen Hundred and Fifty-Nine. The issuance of such a proclamation can, I believe, be well justified by the nature of the historical background which I have outlined briefly. I hope most sincerely that this request will be granted. With kindest personal regards and every good wish, I am Respectfully yours, JMT/els Governor