Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Woodrow Wilson on 1917-06-12, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "German Boats." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.
Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪That through the Secretary of the Navy there be taken over to the United States the immediate possession and title of and to the German vessel Staatssekretar Solf, now lying at Tutuila, Samoa, and until further directions the Secretary of the Navy is ordered to operate and equip such vessel in the service of the Navy of the United States.
▪This order shall take effect from date.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
Total Words
79
448 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
13.2
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 2635, Woodrow Wilson (Jun 12, 1917). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-2635-german-boats.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
It is hereby ordered that through the Secretary of the Navy there be taken over to the United States the immediate possession and title of and to the German vessel Staatssekretar Solf, now lying at Tutuila, Samoa, and until further directions the Secretary of the Navy is ordered to operate and equip such vessel in the service of the Navy of the United States. This order shall take effect from date. WOODROW WILSON THE WHITE HOUSE, June 12, 1917.
