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    "label": "White House Press Release",
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    "id": "290019265",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "White House Press Release",
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 22,
            "logicalDate": "1952-04-22",
            "month": 4,
            "year": 1952
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{
    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
    "type": "photo",
    "url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/presidential-libraries/truman/hst-psf/602191/750357/750357-31-001.tif",
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    "ocrText": "HOLD FOR RELEASE\nHOLD FOR RELEASE\nHOLD FOR RELEASE\nAPRIL 22, 1952\nCONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion,\nsynopsis or intimation to be given out or published until the\nREADING of the President's Message has begun in either the\nSenate or House of Representatives. Extreme care must therefore\nbe exercised to avoid premature publication.\nJOSEPH SHORT\nSecretary to the President\nTO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:\nI am transmitting to the Congress for approval the Constitution\nof the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, adopted by the people of Puerto Rico\non March 3, 1952.\nThe Constitution has been submitted to me pursuant to the Act\nof July 3, 1950, 64 Stat. 319 (48 U.S.C., Supp. IV, 731b-731e). This\nAct authorizes me, upon adoption of a constitution by the people of\nPuerto Rico, to transmit the constitution to the Congress if I find\nthat it conforms with the applicable provisions of the Act and of the\nConstitution of the United States. I do find and declare that the\nConstitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conforms with the\napplicable provisions of the Act of July 3, 1950 and of our own Con-\nstitution.\nFully recognizing the principle of government by consent, the\nAct of July 3, 1950 authorized the people of Puerto Rico to organize\na republican form of government pursuant to a constitution of their\nown choosing. The Act was adopted by the Congress of the United States\n\"in the nature of a compact\". By its own terms, the Act could become\neffective only when accepted by the people of Puerto Rico in a referen-\ndum.\nOn June 4, 1951, the people of Puerto Rico voted by a large\nmajority to accept the Act of July 3, 1950, thereby reaffirming their\nunion with the United States on the terms proposed by the Congress.\nFollowing the referendum, the voters of Puerto Rico elected delegates\nto a Constitutional Convention. The Convention convened in San Juan\non September 17, 1951, and concluded its deliberations on February 6,\n1952.\nThe Constitution approved by the Constitutional Convention was\nsubmitted to the people of Puerto Rico in a referendum on March 3, 1952.\nIt was adopted by an overwhelming majority.\nIn the course of its studies and deliberations, the Consti-\ntutional Convention made a careful analysis of the constitutions of\neach of the States of the Union, as well as that of the Federal Govern-\nment. As a result, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico\ncontains many provisions which are common to constitutions which have\nbeen adopted by the States, as well as other provisions which are\ndesigned primarily to meet local problems.\nThe Constitution establishes the government of the Commonwealth\nof Puerto Rico with three coordinate branches of government, legislative,\nexecutive and judicial. The city of San Juan is designated as the seat\nof government.\nThe legislative power of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is\nvested in the legislative Assembly, consisting of a Senate composed\nof 27 members and a House of Representatives composed of 51 members.\nMembers of the Senate and the House of Representatives are to be elected\nby direct vote at each general election for a term of four years. Both\nUnited States and Puerto Rican citizenship are requisites for election\nto legislative office.\nUnder the Constitution, the executive power of the Commonwealth\nof Puerto Rico is vested in a Governor, to be elected by direct vote\nin each general election for a term of four years. To be eligible for\n(OVER)"
}