By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
There is hereby established a certificate of merit, to be known as the President's Certificate of Merit, for award by the President or at his direction to any civilian who on or after December 7, 1941, has performed a meritorious act or service which has aided the United States or any nation engaged with the United States in the prosecution of World War II, and for which there is no other suitable award or recognition.
This certificate may be awarded for an act or service not sufficiently extraordinary or meritorious to warrant the award of the Medal for Merit, but nevertheless of high degree.
The President's Certificate of Merit shall be of appropriate design, approved by the Medal for Merit Board, and may be awarded on the recommendation of that Board.
Not more than one President's Certificate of Merit shall be awarded to any one person. Such certificate may be awarded posthumously.
HARRY S. TRUMAN
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 6, 1946
Harry S Truman, Executive Order 9734—President's Certificate of Merit Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/278594