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localId
284839381
label
White House Press Release, Statement by President Harry S. Truman
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doc
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document
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1
Source metadata
id
284839381
contentType
document
title
White House Press Release, Statement by President Harry S. Truman
citationUrl
collections
White House Press Release Files (Truman Administration)
White House Press Releases
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1
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284839381
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item
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12
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1946-12-12
month
12
year
1946
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nara-archive
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1
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photo
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7777ea9fe3e7b0d9
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#933
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DECEMBER 12, 1946
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
I have today appointed John R. Steelman as Assistant to the
President to continue to aid me in coordinating federal agency programs
and policies.
Mr. Steelman, assisted by a small staff, will also continue
to serve as liaison between the executive agencies and the President's
Commission on Higher Education, as well as chairman of the President's
Scientific Research Board which was established recently by executive
order to report to the President on current scientific research pro-
grams of the Federal Government and steps needed to coordinate and
strengthen these programs.
I have signed an executive order, effective today, creating
a new agency which will be known as the Office of Temporary Controls.
The order consolidates the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion,
the Office of Price Administration, the Civilian Production Administration,
and the Office of Economic Stabilization into the new agency. I have
appointed General Philip B. Fleming to head the new agency. In addition,
he will continue as Federal Works Administrator.
The Office of Temporary Controls will be responsible for
carrying out the continuing responsibilities of the OPA and the CPA,
and certain activities of the OWMR. The priorities powers under which
the CPA operates will expire March 31, except for building materials,
unless extended by Congress. The principal OPA programs which continue
by law are sugar rationing and rent control. The functions of the
Office of Economic Stabilization already have been largely terminated
as the result of decontrol of prices and wages and elimination of most
items from rationing.
The consolidation will result in economies in operation, and
in a more rapid liquidation of personnel, property, records, etc., which
are no longer needed for current programs.
Although the reconversion program has not been completed, the
actions taken by this order in reducing the number of agencies involved
in reconversion matters and the recent removal of price and wage controls
materially lessen the need for continuing a separate OWMR. The statute
under which OWMR operates expires June 30, 1947. Until that date most
residual functions will be carried on by the Office of Temporary Controls
established by the order. The OWMR Advisory Board will be continued for
some time. Its members have expressed to me the desire to wind up their
work and be relieved of their duties at the earliest practicable date.
The order also terminates the Wage Stabilization Board (as of
February 24, 1947) and the Economic Stabilization Board. It reestablishes
the Office of Government Reports and transfers to it the functions of the
Government Information Service of the Bureau of the Budget and the
functions of the Advertising and Motion Picture Division of the OWMR.
The order transfers the functions of the Office of Contract
Settlement to the Treasury Department and disposes of certain other wartime
functions, including certain functions of the Wage Stabilization Board
which are transferred to the Department of Labor.