Executive Order 9630—Redistribution of Foreign Economic Functions and Functions With Respect to Surplus Property in Foreign Areas

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes, including Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941, and as President of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and the Navy, it is hereby ordered as follows:

PART I

1. The Foreign Economic Administration established by Executive Order No. 9380 of September 25, 1943, hereinafter referred to as the Administration, and its agencies except as otherwise provided in this order, and the office of the Administrator of the Foreign Economic Administration, are terminated and disposition shall be made of the affairs thereof according to the provisions of this Part.

2. There are transferred to the Department of State all functions of the Administration and of its agencies with respect to:

(a) The administration of the Act of March 11, 1941, as amended, entitled "An Act further to promote the defense of the United States and for other purposes."

(b) The participation by the United States in the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, as defined in Executive Order No. 9453 of July 6, 1944.

(c) Activities in liberated areas with respect to supplying the requirements of and procuring materials in such areas under paragraph 4 of the said Executive Order No. 9380.

(d) The gathering, analysis, and reporting of economic and commercial information, insofar as such functions are performed abroad.

(e) The planning of measures for the control of occupied territories.

(f) The administration of Allocation No. 42/3-98 of February 1, 1943 from the appropriation, "Emergency Fund for the President, National Defense, 1942 and 1943."

3. There are transferred to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation:

(a) The Rubber Development Corporation, the Petroleum Reserves Corporation, and the U.S. Commercial Company and their functions, capital stock, assets, and liabilities. The board of directors of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation may reconstitute the boards of directors of the said transferred corporations.

(b) The functions of the Administration (including those of the U.S. Commercial Company) with respect to the procurement of commodities abroad, excluding such functions transferred to the Department of Agriculture under paragraph 5 of this Part.

4. There are transferred to the Department of Commerce all functions of the Administration and its agencies with respect to:

(a) Export control, including all functions of the Administration under section 6 of the Act of July 2, 1940 (54 Stat. 714), as amended and extended.

(b) The Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee (under existing directive of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff).

(c) The facilitation of trade, including functions affecting foreign trade and domestic commerce and the functions of the Clearing Office for Foreign Transactions and Reports, except as any of the aforesaid functions are otherwise transferred by this Part.

(d) Any other matter not transferred by this Part, including the final liquidation of the Administration and winding up of such of its affairs as are not otherwise transferred by this order.

5. There are transferred to the Department of Agriculture the functions of the Office of Foreign Food Programs and all other functions of the Administration with respect to food (as defined in paragraph 10 of Executive Order No. 9280 of December 5, 1942), food machinery, and other food facilities.

6. There are transferred to the heads of the agencies to which functions are transferred by this Part the respective functions of the Administrator of the Foreign Economic Administration, hereafter referred to as the Administrator, which relate to the functions so transferred to the aforesaid agencies.

PART II

7. For the purpose of unifying the disposition of foreign property owned by the United States in foreign areas under a single agency acting in conformity with the foreign policy of the United States and with the Surplus Property Act of 1944, and consonant with the transfer of such disposition function under paragraph 2 (a) hereof and the designation of the Department of State, pursuant to the provisions of the Surplus Property Act of 1944, as a disposal agency for all surplus property in foreign areas, excepting certain vessels, there are transferred to the Department of State all functions of the Army-Navy Liquidation Commissioner (under whatever authority, including War Department Memorandum No. 850-45, dated January 27, 1945 and letter of the Secretary of the Navy dated February 1, 1945) and all functions of the War Department and the Navy Department relating to the disposition abroad of property captured from the enemy. So much of the functions of the Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy as relates thereto is transferred to the Secretary of State. The office of Army-Navy Liquidation Commissioner is abolished.

8. The War Department and the Navy Department shall each store, care for, handle, deliver and keep the fiscal and other accounts for all property declared to be surplus in foreign areas, including property captured from the enemy, and shall also furnish such personnel, transportation and administrative services or facilities as may be required for foreign disposal. The provisions of this paragraph shall be carried out without reimbursement from the Department of State for the services rendered. As used in this order, the words "foreign areas" mean areas outside the continental United States, its territories and possessions.

9. The Secretary of War and the Secretary of the Navy are authorized to detail officers and enlisted persons of the military and naval establishments, respectively, to the Department of State to assist it in the discharge of its duties under this Part or of any duties delegated to it under the Surplus Property Act of 1944, and any such officer or enlisted person shall, while so detailed, retain and be entitled to the rights, benefits, promotions and status of an officer or enlisted person of the establishment from which he was detailed.

PART III

10. There are transferred to the respective agencies to which functions are transferred by this order, for use in connection with the functions so transferred, so much as the Director of the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to relate to such functions, respectively, of the records, property, civilian personnel, and funds of the Administration and its agencies (including funds appropriated to the President for carrying out functions administered by the Administration) and of the War Department and of the Navy Department. Such further measures and dispositions as may be determined by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget to be necessary to effectuate the transfers and abolitions provided for in this order shall be carried out in such manner as the Director may direct and by such agencies as he may designate.

11. The head of each agency to which functions are transferred by this order may, in the interest of efficient administration, assign such of the functions transferred to such head or to his agency by this order as he shall determine to such officers and agencies under his jurisdiction as he shall designate.

12. All prior regulations, rulings, and other directives relating to any function transferred by this order shall remain in effect except as they are in conflict with this order or are hereafter amended or revoked under proper authority.

13. All provisions of prior Executive orders and of prior instruments of any Federal agency in conflict with this order are amended accordingly. Each transfer of functions provided for in this order shall be effective on such date, not later than December 31, 1945, as shall be designated jointly by the Director of the Bureau of the budget and the head of the agency to which the function is transferred. Pending such designations the officers and agencies from whom functions are transferred under this order shall continue to administer their respective functions.

HARRY S. TRUMAN

THE WHITE HOUSE,

September 27, 1945