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1668576
label
Lithuanian Ancestry Message, 1976
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doc
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
1668576
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
Lithuanian Ancestry Message, 1976
citationUrl
collections
Eliska A. Hasek Files (Ford Administration)
Eliska Hasek's Presidential Messages Files
subjects
Presidential messages
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1668576
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26
logicalDate
1976-02-26
month
2
year
1976
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day
26
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1976-02-26
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2
year
1976
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nara-archive
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1
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The original documents are located in Box 1, folder "Lithuanian Ancestry Message, 1976"
of the Eliska Hasek Files 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 R. 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United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives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.
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
February 26, 1976
TO AMERICANS OF LITHUANIAN ANCESTRY
As we celebrate the birth of freedom in America, more and more
of our people are mindful of their bi-national heritage. Your
Lithuanian-American activities call attention to the remarkable
efforts of millions of talented and hard-working individuals from
all over the world who built America into the great nation we
know today.
I am keenly aware of your great anxiety concerning your homeland,
families and friends who have been and are still profoundly affected
by East - West political developments in Europe. Last summer,
just before departing for Helsinki, and before that in February of
1975, I met with your leaders to discuss these concerns and to em-
phasize that the accord I would sign in Helsinki was neither a treaty
nor a legally binding document.
The Helsinki agreements, I pointed out, were political and moral
commitments aimed at lessening tensions and opening further the
lines of communication between the peoples of East and West. I
assure you again that there is no cause for the very understandable
concern you raised about the effect of the Helsinki Declarations on
the Baltic nations. The United States has never recognized the
Soviet incorporation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and is not
doing so now. Our official policy of nonrecognition is not affected
by the results of the European Security Conference.
It is the policy of the United States--and it has been my policy ever
since I entered public life--to support the aspirations for freedom
and national independence of the peoples of Eastern Europe by every
proper and peaceful means.
I commend you for your continued contributions to our national
legacy and to our durable system of representative government.
Today, I salute you for your struggle on behalf of all human free-
dom.
Herald R. Ford
BERALD LIBRARY ? FORD