U.S. Embassy Opens a Condolence Book in Commemoration of the Death of President Ford

Riga, December 28, 2006. – In commemoration of the death of President Gerald R. Ford, who died on December 27, 2006, the U.S. Embassy in Riga will open a condolence book for the public to sign. The book will be available in the lobby of the U.S. Embassy at Raina blvd. 7 on Friday, December 29, 2006 from 14:00 to 16:00, and on Tuesday, January 2, 2007 from 13:00 and 16:00.

All visitors will be asked to follow the standard security procedures upon entering the Embassy.

In a statement issued by the White House, President George W. Bush praised former President Ford as “a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country”. President Bush also expressed his sympathies to Ford’s family, mourning the loss of a leader known for his “devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration.”

Gerald Ford is the only individual elevated to the U.S. presidency without having been elected either to that office or the vice presidency. Ford served during a tumultuous period of increasing partisan and ideological divides, when Congress challenged many presidential prerogatives and attempted to assert greater control of the direction and substance of U.S. foreign policy.

U.S. Embassy, Riga, Public Affairs Section
Smilsu iela 7
Riga, LV 1050
Phone: 371 750-9022, 371 750-9037
Internet: http://riga.usembassy.gov
Media specialist's e-mail: dilanes@state.gov, abolad@state.gov