Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
This executive order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1940-03-02, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Administration of the Foreign Service Under Reorganization Plan No. II." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.
Constitutional Assessment: Reviewed under the Tenth Amendment and the principle of dual federalism, this order touches upon domains traditionally reserved to the sovereign States. The Framers would caution against any attempt to commandeer state officers or displace local police powers through federal executive fiat.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
▪1431), and in effectuation of the provisions of subdivisions (2), (3), and (4) of that section, I hereby prescribe the following regulations pertaining to officers designated by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Agriculture under the said subdivisions: 1.
▪The Secretary of State shall give suitable commissions to the officers described in paragraph 1 hereof and shall assign them to such offices as may be deemed necessary by him and the Secretary of the department concerned.
▪Such officers, during the active period of their assignment, shall be considered a part of the organization of the Foreign Service, shall assume the status directed by the Secretary of State, and shall, in this respect, be subject to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State.
▪The duties of such officers shall be restricted to the accomplishment of the special missions within the scope of their assignments.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
370
2,233 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
14.6
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
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Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 8357, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Mar 2, 1940). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8357-administration-the-foreign-service-under-reorganization-plan-no-ii.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
Under the authority vested in me by section 1(b) of Part I of Reorganization Plan No. II (effective July 1, 1939, by Public Resolution approved June 7, 1939, 53 Stat. 1431), and in effectuation of the provisions of subdivisions (2), (3), and (4) of that section, I hereby prescribe the following regulations pertaining to officers designated by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Agriculture under the said subdivisions: 1. Officers designated by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Agriculture under subdivisions (2) and (3), respectively, of the said section 1(b) of Part I of Reorganization Plan No. II may, when acceptable to the Secretary of State, be sent abroad as specialists or technicians for temporary service under the provisions of, and subject to the conditions named in, section 5 of the act of March 3, 1927, 44 Stat. 1396, and section 2 of the act of June 5, 1930, 46 Stat. 498, as authorized by the said subdivisions (2) and (3), respectively. 2. The Secretary of State shall give suitable commissions to the officers described in paragraph 1 hereof and shall assign them to such offices as may be deemed necessary by him and the Secretary of the department concerned. Such officers, during the active period of their assignment, shall be considered a part of the organization of the Foreign Service, shall assume the status directed by the Secretary of State, and shall, in this respect, be subject to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of State. With the approval of the chief of the office to which they are attached, such officers may request reports from Foreign Service officers upon matters falling within the jurisdiction of their respective departments. The duties of such officers shall be restricted to the accomplishment of the special missions within the scope of their assignments. 3. The officers designated by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Agriculture under subdivision (4) of the said section 1(b) of Part I of Reorganization Plan No. II to serve in the Department of State as liaison officers shall, when acceptable to the Secretary of State, serve in matters of interest to their respective departments. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, March 2, 1940.