Executive Order 9440 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 9440—Authorizing the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to Place Orders With Other Agencies for Materials or Services to Be Obtained by Contract or Otherwise
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 1944-05-09, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Authorizing the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to Place Orders With Other Agencies for Materials or Services to Be Obtained by Contract or Otherwise." 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
▪613), as amended by section 601 of the act of June 30, 1932 (47 Stat.
Exec. Order No. 9440, Franklin D. Roosevelt (May 9, 1944). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-9440-authorizing-the-reconstruction-finance-corporation-place-orders-with.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Statutes of the United States, particularly by Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941, as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, it is hereby ordered as follows: The functions, powers, and duties, with respect to placing orders for materials, supplies, equipment, work, or services, of any kind that any requisitioned Federal agency may be in a position to supply, or to render or to obtain by contract, which are vested in the War Department, Navy Department, Treasury Department, Civil Aeronautics Administration and the Maritime Commission under section 7 (a) of the act of May 21, 1920 (41 Stat. 613), as amended by section 601 of the act of June 30, 1932 (47 Stat. 417), and the act of July 20, 1942 (56 Stat. 661, 31 U.S.C., 686), and which are also vested in the War Food Administration by virtue of Executive Order 9418 of January 29, 1944, may be exercised also by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, and by any constituent, subsidiary or controlled agency or corporation thereof designated by the Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Any provision of any executive order or proclamation conflicting with this order is superseded to the extent of such conflict. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, May 9, 1944.
