Who was responsible for gifting cherry blossom trees to the United States?

Yukio Ozaki was instrumental in gifting cherry blossom trees to the United States as a gesture of friendship between Japan and the U.S. In 1912, he, then the mayor of Tokyo, arranged for the donation of more than 3,000 cherry blossom trees to be planted around the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. This act symbolized the growing relationship and goodwill between the two nations, and today the cherry blossoms are celebrated each spring during the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

The other figures mentioned in the choices are significant in their own right but did not play a role in this specific event. Robert Perry was an explorer known for his ventures to the Arctic and would not be associated with the gifting of trees. Matthew Henson, also an explorer, was Perry's associate and contributed to Arctic explorations. Dr. Jonas Salk is renowned for developing the polio vaccine and does not connect to the history of the cherry blossom trees. Therefore, Yukio Ozaki’s actions stand out as the key event regarding the gifting of cherry blossoms.