Speech #980164862

Mr. President. the formation of the Statue of LibertyEllis Island Centennial Commission was announced by President Reagan on May 18. 1982. The goals of the Commission are: First. to restore and preserve the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. second. establish a lasting memorial to the immigrants who created America. third. plan and implement centennial celebration events. fourth. develop plans to insure continuing support of the Statue of LibertyEllis Island National Monument after the centennial celebration and. fifth. raise $230 million to accomplish these tasks. The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States. The statue. which cost $400.000 to build. was paid for by contributions from the French people.