Executive Order 8976—Authorizing the Secretary of Commerce To Waive Compliance With the Navigation and Vessel Inspection Laws for War Purposes

By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the United States as President of the United States and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, and to further the successful prosecution of the war, it is hereby ordered as follows:

1. The Secretary of Commerce is directed to waive compliance with the navigation and vessel inspection laws upon the request of the Secretary of the Navy or the Secretary of War to the extent deemed necessary in the conduct of the war by the officer making the request.

2. The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to waive compliance with the navigation and vessel inspection laws to such extent and in such manner and upon such terms as he may prescribe, either upon his own initiative or upon the written recommendation of the head of any other Government agency that such action is necessary in the conduct of the war.

FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT

The White House,
December 12, 1941.