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MEMORANDUM TO ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL BALDRIDGE Re: Inapplicability of the Taft-Hartley Act to the Steel Dispute Secs. 206 to 210 of the Taft-Miartley Act provide in substance that whenever in the opinion of the President "a threatened or actual strike or lock-out affecting an entire industry or a substantial part thereof engaged in trade commerce, trans- portation, transmission or communication among the several states or with foreign nations or engaged in the production of goods for commerce, will if permitted to occur or to continue, imperil the national safety" he may appoint a board of inquiry to make a written report. (Sec. 206). Upon receipt of the report the President may direct the Attorney General to petition a District Court for an order enjoining the strike or lockout or the continuing thereof and court shall grant the injuction if it finds TRUMAN (1) That the strike affects an entire industry, etc. and Road ARCHIVES& NATIONAL RECORDS ADMIN." (2) That it will imperil the national health and safety. << ODVERANT (Sec. 208). After the injunction has been issued the board of inquiry shall ** reconvene and shall submit a report to the President at the end of a sixty day period. within the next fifteen days the NLRB is to take a secret ballot as to whether the employees wish to accept the final offer of settlement made by their employers, and certify the results to the Attorney General within five days thereafter (Sec. 209). The Attorney General shall nove for a discharge of the injunction upon certification of the results.When the motion is granted the President shall submit to Congress a full report of the proceedings together with such recommendations as he may see fit for consideration and appropriste action. (Sec. 210). It is submitted (1) That it is discretionary with the Prosident whether he wants to exercise the authority conferred upon under the Taft-Hartley Act, and that the valid reasons mitigated against the invocation of the Taft-Hartley procedure. (a) In Januery when the President submitted the dispute to the Wage Stabilization Board, and (b) At the present time.

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