110 STAT. 4506 PROCLAMATION 6868—MAR. 1, 1996 Sec. 2. The Secretary is authorized to inspect any vessel, foreign or domestic, in the territorial waters of the United States, at any time; to place guards on any such vessel; and, with my consent expressly hereby granted, take full possession and control of any such vessel and remove the officers and crew, and all other persons not specifically authorized by the Secretary to go or remain on board the vessel when necessary to secure the rights and obligations of the United States. Sec. 3. The Secretary may request assistance from such departments, agencies, officers, or instrumentalities of the United States as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this proclamation. Such departments, agencies, officers, or instrumentalities shall, consistent with other provisions of law and to the extent practicable, provide requested assistance. Sec. 4. The Secretary may seek assistance from State and local authorities in carrying out the purposes of this proclamation. Because State and local assistance may be essential for an effective response to this emergency, I urge all State and local officials to cooperate with Federal authorities and to take all actions within their lawful authority necessary to prevent the unauthorized departure of vessels intending to enter Cuban territorial waters. Sec. 5. All powers and authorities delegated by this proclamation to the Secretary may be delegated by the Secretary to other officers and agents of the United States Government unless otherwise prohibited by law. Sec. 6. This proclamation shall be immediately transmitted to the Congress and published in the Federal Register. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of March, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and ninety-six, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twentieth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 6868 of March 1, 1996 Irish-American Heritage Month, 1996 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation I am pleased to count myself among the over 40 million Americans who can trace their heritage back to Ireland. Like so many of our forebears, immigrants from the Emerald Isle came to this country seeking dignity and prosperity, and they brought with them traditions rooted in the values of family and faith. Some arrived on our shores even before our Nation was founded, lending their energy to the establishment of our Republic; nine sons of Ireland signed the Declaration of Independence, and our first President, George Washington, proudly claimed Irish ancestry. The largest wave of Irish immigration occurred 150 years ago, when more than 1 million people left Ireland for America as potato blight and famine devastated their homeland. These sons and daughters of
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