Executive Order 6111—Relating to Foreign Exchange and the Earmarking and Export of Gold Coin or Bullion or Currency

By virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 5 (b) of the Act of October 6, 1917, as amended by Section 2 of the Act of March 9, 1933, entitled "An Act to provide relief in the existing national emergency in banking, and for other purposes," in which amendatory Act Congress declared that a serious emergency exists, I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America, do declare that said national emergency still continues to exist and pursuant to said section and by virtue of all other authority vested in me, do hereby issue the following executive order:

1. Until further order, the earmarking for foreign account and the export of gold coin, gold bullion or gold certificates from the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof 'are hereby prohibited, except that the Secretary of the Treasury, in his discretion and subject to such regulations as he may prescribe, may issue licenses authorizing the export of gold coin and bullion (a) earmarked or held in trust for a recognized foreign government or foreign central bank or the Bank for International Settlements, (b) imported for reexport or gold in reasonable amounts for usual trade requirements of refiners importing gold bearing materials under agreement to export gold, (c) actually required for the fulfillment of any contract entered into prior to the date of this order, by an applicant who in obedience to the Executive Order of April 5, 1933, has delivered gold coin, gold bullion or gold certificates, and (d) with the approval of the President, for transactions which he may deem necessary to promote the public interest.

2. Until further order, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized, through any agency that he may designate, to investigate, regulate, or prohibit, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, by means of licenses or otherwise, any transactions in foreign exchange, transfers of credit from any banking institution within the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof to any foreign branch or office of such banking institution or to any foreign bank or banker, and the export or withdrawal of currency from the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, by any individual, partnership, association, or corporation within the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof; and the Secretary of the Treasury may require any individual, partnership, association, or corporation engaged in any transaction referred to herein to furnish under oath, complete information relative thereto, including the production of any books of account, contracts, letters or other papers, in connection therewith in the custody or control of such individual, partnership, association, or corporation either before or after such transaction is completed.

3. The provisions relating to foreign exchange transactions contained in the Executive Order of March 10, 1933, shall remain in full force and effect except as amended or supplemented by this order and by regulations issued hereunder.

4. Applicants who have gold coin, gold bullion or gold certificates in their possession, or who in obedience to the Executive Order of April 5, 1933, have delivered gold coin, gold bullion or gold certificates shall be entitled to licenses as provided in Section 8 of said Executive Order for amounts not exceeding the equivalent of such coin, bullion or certificates held or delivered. The Secretary may in his discretion issue or decline to issue any other licenses under said Executive Order, which shall in all other respects remain in full force and effect.

5. Whoever willfully violates any provision of this Executive Order or of any rule, regulation or license issued thereunder may be fined not more than $10,000, or, if a natural person, may be imprisoned for not more than ten years, or both; and any officer, director, or agent of any corporation who knowingly participates in any such violation may be punished by a like fine, imprisonment, or both.

This order may be modified or revoked at any time.

FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
April 20, 1933.