White House Press Release, Message from President Harry S. Truman to the United States Congress

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HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE May 16, 1946 CONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation to be given out or published until the READING of the President's Message has begun in either the Senate or House of Representatives. Extreme care must therefore be exercised to avoid premature publication. CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1946, pre- pared in accordance with the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1945. In my message to the Congress of May 24, 1945, requesting passage of a reorganization act, I stated that an important purpose of the act would be to permit making permanent certain of the reorgani- zation actions taken by Executive order under the authority of Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941, 55 Stat. 838. The effect of this NARA Reorganization Plan would be, in the main, to continue in force some of the reorganization actions now in effect by virtue of Executive orders. The reorganization actions continued in force by this Plan all constitute improvements in the organization of permanent functions of the Government or functions which may be expected to be active after the expiration of Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941. Those improvements should, therefore, be made permanent under the procedure established in the Reorganization Act of 1945. I have found, after investigation, that each reorganization contained in the Plan is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2 (a) of the Reorganization Act of 1945. Each Part of the Reorganization Plan is explained in further detail below. DEPARTMENT OF STATE The first Part of the Plan provides for the transfer of certain functions to the Department of State, and imposes certain liquidation duties on that Department. Office of Inter-American Affairs Executive Order No. 8840 of July 30, 1941 established the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs. Throughout the war period this Office (later redesignated the Office of Inter- American Affairs) played a major role in the development of better re- lations among the American Ropublics. In accordance with the general realignment of the functions and organization of wartime agencies in the international field, this Office was abolished and certain re- maining functions were transferred to the Secretary of State by Executive Order No. 9710 of April 10, 1946. This Plan confirms this transfer, providing specifically for the direction by the Secretary of State of the activities of certain corporations formerly headed by the Director of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. (OVER)