Press Release, Statement by the President and Executive Order

ARCHIVES RECORDE AMD IMMEDIATE RELEASE the and JULY 29, 1949 STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT Since the Reorganization Act of 1949 was passed, I have submitted to the Congress a number of plans to improve the organization and management of the Executive Branch. Other steps to further the recommendations of the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch are under study. In cooperation with the Congress I intend to move ahead as rapidly as is consistent with well-considered action. While improvements in the organization and administrative arrangements of the Executive Branch are essential to efficient con- duct of Federal programs, they do not in themselves result in better operations. Responsible officials must follow through to see that potential improvements in Government operations are actually realized. In an Executive Order which I have just signed, I am taking steps to assure that there shall be a continuous and systematic effort throughout the Executive Branch to evaluate and improve the effective- ness and economy of Government operations. Department and agency heads will continue to have primary responsibility for such action. It is my intention that the responsible executivos shall schedule comprehensive reviews of activities under their jurisdiction in order to improve internal agency organization, identify and eliminate overlapping or unnecessary activities, simplify or modernize procedures, and assure that management shall be effective in its day-to-day direction and supervision of oporations. In scheduling such appraisals it is my intention that priority shall be given to those areas of operation in which the greatest benefits in economy or improved service to the public are expected. The Bureau of the Budget will review accomplishments and keep me informed of progress and matters requiring action by me. The Advisory Committee on Management Improvement will assist me in planning an effective management improvement program on a Government- wide basis and in reviewing progress and accomplishments under it. The President announced the appointment of the following to the Advisory Committee on Management Improvement: Chairman, Thomas Morgan of New York City, President, Sperry Corporation; Lawrence A. Appley of New York City, President, American Management Association; Vincent Burke, First Assistant Postmaster General; Oscar Chapman, Under Secretary, Department of the Interior; Gordon Clapp, Chairman, Tennessee Valley Authority; Stephen Early, Under Secretary, the National Defense Establishment; Herbert Emmerich of Chicago, Director, Public Administration Clearing House; Edward Mason of Cambridge, Mass., Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Public Administration; Otto Nelson of Princeton, N.J., Vice President, New York Life Insurance Company; James Palmer of Winnetka, Ill., Executive Vice President, Marshall-Field & Company; James E. Webb, Under Secretary, Department of State. Frank Pace, Jr., Director of the Bureau of the Budget, will meet with and advise the Committee.