[SEAL] and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

Proclamation 3704

CANCER CONTROL MONTH, 1966

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Every two minutes cancer strikes a man or a women or a child in this country.

It ranks second in the causes of all deaths.

This represents untold human suffering, pain, and hardship, as well as a staggering loss to our economy.

Scientists, physicians, and official and voluntary health agencies, through research and cancer-control programs, have made remarkable progress in reducing this heavy toll. Their efforts deserve the most widespread commendation and encouragement.

Further progress can be made if we unite all our Nation's health resources. Recent advances in bio-medical research indicate that an expanded attack on cancer may lead to its ultimate conquest.

The Eighty-ninth Congress has given us the tools for such an expanded attack. It has enacted legislation to promote the establishment of regional medical programs of research, training, and demonstrations of patient care aimed at combatting cancer and other such major diseases.

These programs will enable us to develop new knowledge of cancer and to make available to patients the latest advances in diagnosis and treatment.

Any program for the prevention and control of cancer requires the support and cooperation of all our people. For this reason, the Congress, by a joint resolution of March 28, 1938 (52 Stat. 148), requested the President to issue annually a proclamation setting apart the month of April as Cancer Control Month.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of April 1966 as Cancer Control Month; and I invite the Governors of the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to issue similar proclamations.

I also ask the medical and allied health professions, the communications industries, and all other interested persons and groups to unite during the appointed month in public reaffirmation of this Nation's efforts to control cancer.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this 14th day of February in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-six, and of the [SEAL] Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

By the President:

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

DEAN RUSK,

Secretary of State.

Proclamation 3705

RED CROSS MONTH, 1966

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

The Red Cross is a symbol of mercy throughout the world.

It is our first assurance of help in time of disaster.

It accompanies the soldier on the battlefield, and even into the prison camps of the enemy.

Our role in the international Red Cross movement is carried on by the American National Red Cross. No group of Americans performs a more humanitarian service, or is more deserving of support, than the 2,000,000 volunteers enrolled in the 3,500 Red Cross Chapters across our nation.

This year alone, the Red Cross will respond to the needs of the victims of some 12,000 to 14,000 disasters.

It will supply half of all the blood used by our doctors and hospitals. It will save countless lives by teaching more than 50 million Americans the skills of First Aid and Water Safety.

Above all, it will be a firm and constant source of service and help to the members of our Armed Forces and their families, both here and overseas.

This faithful and unselfish work of millions of Red Cross volunteers depends upon the unstinting support of all Americans. The Red Cross works for all; it needs the help of all.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America and Honorary Chairman of the American National Red Cross, do hereby designate March, 1966 as Red Cross Month; and I urge all Americans to give this voluntary organization their full support for the benefit of all of our citizens.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this twenty-fourth day of February in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and

[SEAL] sixty-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

By the President:

DEAN RUSK,

Secretary of State.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

Proclamation 3706

NATIONAL FARM SAFETY WEEK, 1966

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

American farmers have achieved more progress during the past three decades than in all our previous history.

Thanks to that progress, a single farmer today can do all the work that once was performed by four. One American farmer today feeds and clothes himself and 32 others-and this is the true foundation of our national abundance.

There is one area of farm life, however, which still needs much improvement. Accidents continue to cost the lives of thousands of men, women, and children on our farms, and disable nearly 750,000 more each year.

This grievous and unnecessary waste of human and economic resources, plus the profound physical and psychological damage suffered by members of farm families, causes me to view the rural accident problem as a matter of national concern.

For this reason, I urge all farm families to help achieve our goal of safer rural communities by eliminating those hazards and unsafe practices that cause or contribute to accidents. Progress toward this goal is the objective of National Farm Safety Week, 1966.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby call on the people of the Nation to observe the week beginning July 24, 1966, as National Farm Safety Week. I urge all families who live on farms, and all persons and groups serving or allied with agriculture, to unite for safety, and apply full energy and determination to the vital task of reducing accidents at work, in homes, at recreation, and on the roadways.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this twenty-fourth day of February in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-six, [SEAL] and of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

By the President:

DEAN RUSK,
Secretary of State.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

66-002 O-67-5

Proclamation 3707

NATIONAL MEDICARE ENROLLMENT MONTH

MARCH 1966

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

WHEREAS, MEDICARE promises a dramatic step toward a better life for all older Americans through a dual program of hospital insurance and voluntary medical insurance;

WHEREAS, The Social Security Amendments of 1965 provide a deadline of March 31, 1966, for enrollment in the voluntary medical insurance portion of the program for Americans who reached 65 in 1965 or before:

WHEREAS, our older citizens are richly deserving of these benefits, and should not be deprived of this valuable protection for any time through neglect or oversight;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim the month of March 1966 as National Medicare Enrollment Month, and I invite the Governors of the States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all other areas subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to issue similar proclamations.

I urge and direct all offices and agencies of the Executive Department to assist the Social Security Administration to give every eligible American an opportunity to sign up for this protection before time

runs out.

And I urge every American citizen to lend his time and energy to this cause to encourage every older friend and relative to make his choice while time remains, so that he may enjoy this protection, provided by a grateful Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States of America to be affixed. DONE at the City of Washington this sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord ninteen hundred and sixty-six, and [SEAL] of the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth.

By the President:

LYNDON B. JOHNSON

DEAN RUSK,

Secretary of State.

Proclamation 3708

NATIONAL MARITIME DAY, 1966

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

Today the American Merchant Marine continues a long tradition of essential service to the American economy and defense. Through

out our history, American ships have contributed to the development of our modern economy, as well as to the strength and unity of the country. As this Nation's economy continues to expand, we will continue to need ships-fast, modern descendants of the famous "Clippers”—to carry our products to the far corners of the earth and return with the raw materials essential to our national prosperity.

Our merchant marine is also vital to our friends all over the world. The transportation of surplus commodities to many of the underdeveloped countries is an important part of our foreign aid program.

As long as the United States may be called upon to defend the Free World's interests anywhere on the globe, our ships are necessary to insure continuous supply of the military material that helps to prevent or defeat aggression by any country.

The complex task of creating and maintaining a merchant marine adequate to our needs for peacetime commerce, and sufficient for defense purposes, requires the efforts of government, management and labor and the support of all Americans.

To remind the American people of the important role of the American Merchant Marine in the life of this Nation, the Congress in 1933 designated May 22 of each year as National Maritime Day and requested the President to issue a proclamation annually in observance of that day. May 22, 1819, is the day the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, set forth on its historic journey into the future.

Since May 22 falls on Sunday this year, it is appropriate that the day be observed on the following Monday.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, LYNDON B. JOHNSON, President of the United States of America, do hereby urge the people of the United States to honor our American Merchant Marine on Monday, May 23, 1966, by displaying the flag of the United States at their homes and other suitable places, and I request that all ships sailing under the American flag dress ship on that day in tribute to the American Merchant Marine.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States of America to be affixed.

DONE at the City of Washington this 22nd day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and sixty-six, and of [SEAL] the Independence of the United States of America the one hundred and ninetieth..

By the President:

DEAN RUSK,

Secretary of State.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON