Executive Order 8381—Defining Certain Vital Military and Naval Installations and Equipment

Whereas section 1, of the act of January 12, 1938, 52 Stat. 3, provides:

"That, whenever, in the interests of the national defense, the President shall define certain vital military and naval installations or equipment or requiring protection against the general dissemination of information relative thereto, it shall be unlawful to make any photograph, sketch, picture, drawing, map, or graphical representation of such vital military and naval installations or equipment without first obtaining permission of the commanding officer of the military or naval post, camp, or station concerned, or higher authority, and promptly submitting the product obtained to such commanding officer or higher authority for censorship or such other action as he may deem necessary. Any person found guilty of a violation of this section shall upon conviction be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or by both such fine and imprisonment."

Now therefore by the virtue of the authority vested in me by the foregoing statutory provisions, and in effectuation of the purposes of the said act of January 12, 1938, I hereby define the following as vital military and naval installations or equipment requiring protection against the general dissemination of information relative thereto:

1. All military or naval installations and equipment which are now classified, designated and marked under the authority or at the direction of the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy as "secret", "confidential", or "restricted", and all military or naval installations and equipment which may hereafter be so classified designated, and marked with the approval or at the direction of the President and located within:

(a) Any military or naval reservation, post, arsenal, proving ground, range, mine field, camp, fort, yard, station, district or area.

(b) Any defensive sea area heretofore or hereafter established and existing under authority of section 44 of the United States Criminal Code, as amended by the act of March 4, 1917, 39 Stat. 1194 (U.S.C., title 18, sec. 96).

(c) Any airspace reservation heretofore or hereafter established and existing under authority of section 4 of the Air Commerce Act of 1926 (44 Stat. 570, U.S.C., title 49, sec . 174).

(d) Any naval harbor closed to foreign vessels.

(e) Any area required for fleet purposes.

(f) Any commercial establishment engaged in the development or manufacture of military or naval arms munitions, equipment, designs, ships, or vessels for the United States Army or Navy.

2. All military or naval aircraft, weapons, ammunition vehicles, ships, vessels, instruments, engines, manufacturing machinery, tools, devices, or any other equipment whatsoever, in the possession of the Army or Navy, or in the course of experimentation, development, manufacture, or delivery for the Army or Navy, which are now classified, designated, and marked under the authority or at the direction of the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy as "secret", confidential", or "restricted", and all such articles, materials or equipment which may hereafter be so classified, designated, and marked with the approval or at the direction of the President.

3. All official military or naval books, pamphlets, documents, reports, drawings, photographs, contracts or specifications, which are now marked under the authority or at the direction of the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy as "secret", "confidential", or "restricted", and all such articles or equipment which may hereafter be so marked with the approval or at the direction of the President.

FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
March 22, 1940.