Executive Order 7577—Amending the Instructions to Diplomatic Officers and the Consular Regulations

By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 1752 of the Revised Statutes (U.S.C., title 22, sec. 132), it is ordered that section XV-4 of the Instructions to Diplomatic Officers and section 451 of the Consular Regulations be, and they are hereby, amended to read as follows:

"Presents and testimonial.-No diplomatic or consular officer shall ask or accept for himself or any other person, any present, emolument, office, or title of any kind from any king, prince, or foreign state. (U.S. Const., Art. I, see. 9, cl. 8, U.S.C., title 22, § 126.) Any present, decoration, order, or testimonial in acknowledgement of services rendered to the citizens or governments of foreign states, or other thing, which shall be conferred on or presented by any foreign government to any officer of the United States, shall be tendered through the Department of State, and not to the individual in person, but such present, decoration, or other thing shall not be delivered by the Department of State unless so authorized by act of Congress. (5 U.S.C., § 115.)

"Thorough consideration was given by the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives in 1934 to the question whether the Congress should consent to the acceptance of presents, decorations, orders, medals, testimonials, or other things. It resulted in the enactment of the joint resolution approved June 27, 1934 (48 Stat. 1267), which authorized only certain retired officers and employees therein named to accept such decorations, orders, medals, or presents as had been tendered to them by foreign governments. Hence it appears to be the settled policy of the Congress to decline to authorize the acceptance by civilian officers of the Government in active service of presents, decorations, medals, orders, testimonials, or other things, when presented to or conferred on such officers by any king, prince, or foreign state. Furthermore, it is contrary to the policy of the Government to tender or to award presents, decorations, medals, orders, testimonials, or other things to representatives of foreign governments. In view of the attitude of the Congress and the policy of the Government, American diplomatic and consular officers are hereby prohibited from accepting in any circumstances any present, decoration, medal, order, testimonial, or other thing that may be tendered to them by any foreign king, prince, or foreign state."

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

The White House,
March 19, 1937.