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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release February 5, 1998

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

I am pleased to present to you the 1996 annual report of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Federal agency charged with fostering scholarship and enriching the ideas and wisdom born of the humanities. The agency supports an impressive range of projects encompassing the worlds of history, literature, philosophy, and culture. Through these projects, Americans of all walks of life are able to explore and share in the uniqueness of our Nation's democratic experience.

The activities of the NEH touch tens of millions of our citizens -- from the youngest students to the most veteran professors, to men and women who simply strive for a greater appreciation of our Nation's past, present, and future. The NEH has supported projects as diverse as the widely viewed documentary, The West, and research as specialized as that conducted on the Lakota Tribe. Small historical societies have received support, as have some of the Nation's largest cultural institutions.

Throughout our history, the humanities have provided Americans with the knowledge, insights, and perspectives needed to move ourselves and our civilization forward. Today, the NEH remains vitally important to promoting our Nation's culture. Not only does its work continue to add immeasurably to our civic life, it strengthens the democratic spirit so essential to our country and our world on the eve of a new century.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

     THE WHITE HOUSE,
     February 5, 1998.

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