English: On February 12, 1865—two months prior to his assassination at Ford’s Theatre in Washington on April 15—President Abraham Lincoln submitted a handwritten note to the Senate and House of Representatives. In it, he informed them of the upcoming international fisheries exhibition scheduled to take place in Bergen, Norway, in the summer of 1865. The note was accompanied by diplomatic correspondence from the Department of State and the United States' representation in Stockholm, outlining the exhibition’s program and content. Lincoln also urged Congress to consider whether legislation pertaining to the subject might be necessary.

The communication was presented to the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs on February 14 and ordered to be printed. On March 3, Congress passed a resolution requesting the President to announce the international exhibition to the American public, either by formal proclamation or through any other appropriate means.

In an attached letter from the U.S. Minister Resident in Stockholm, Mr. Campbell, addressed to the Norwegian-Swedish Foreign Minister, Count Manderström, the exhibition’s relevance for economic development in the New England states—as well as for Sweden and Norway—was emphasized. Campbell expressed confidence that the exhibition would be of significance and interest to the peoples of both countries and stated that it would be a pleasure to draw the attention of his own government to such an important initiative. The enclosed program was signed by C. Von Tangen on behalf of the organizers.

The initiative thus garnered considerable attention in the United States, receiving support from both President Lincoln and the U.S. Congress.