PROCLAMATION 7284—MAR. 31, 2000 114 STAT. 3273 and Daniel Webster led the Congress to send funds and supplies to aid the Greeks in their struggle for freedom. Our alliance with Greece has remained strong. Together we have stood up to the forces of oppression in conflicts from World War 11 to the Persian Gulf, we have joined as strategic partners in NATO, and we have worked to build peace, stability, and prosperity in the Balkans. Through decades of challenge and change, our friendship has endured and deepened, and together we have proved the fundamental truth of the Greek proverb, "The passion for freedom never dies." That passion for freedom has also beckoned generations of Greek men and women to America's shores, and today we celebrate and give thanks for the myriad contributions Greek Americans have made to our national life. More than a million citizens of Greek descent live in America today, and their devotion to family, faith, community, and country has enriched our society immeasurably. NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 25, 2000, as Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate ceremonies, activities, and programs. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty- fourth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-foiuth. WILLIAM J. CLINTON Proclamation 7284 of March 31, 2000 Cancer Control Month, 2000 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Since the discovery of the DNA double helix in 1953, we have learned much about the relationship between genetics and cancer, and researchers have begun to isolate and study genes whose alteration and dysfunction may cause the disease. In the last decade, increased understanding of cancer and growing public awareness of its sjnmptoms and risks have helped us to reverse the upward trend in cancer rates in our Nation. Cancer cases and death rates have declined slightly but steadily in the United States; the 5-year siurvival rate has improved for all cancers; and 8.4 million Americans are now cancer survivors. Despite these encouraging trends, this is no time for complacency. Last year alone, more than 1 million people were diagnosed with cancer, and more than 560,000 died from it. And cancer rates are still disproportionately high among certain racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. That is why my Administration remains committed to fighting this deadly disease in every sector of oxur population. Since 1998, we have boosted investment in biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health by an unprecedented $4.1 billion, including a dramatic
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