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Executive Order 10336 Constitutional Friction / Overreach (-0.19)

Executive Order 10336—Amendment of Executive Order No. 9586 of July 6, 1945, Establishing the Medal of Freedom

Harry S Truman Harry S Truman
•
Thursday, April 3, 1952
•
3 min read (511 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.

This executive order, signed by President Harry S Truman on 1952-04-03, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Amendment of Executive Order No. 9586 of July 6, 1945, Establishing the Medal of Freedom." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

Constitutional Assessment: Scrutinized through Article II, Section 2, this action exercises the President's constitutional role as Commander in Chief. Early Framers recognized broad executive discretion in commanding military forces during conflict, provided it remains bounded by congressional declarations and respects civilian domestic courts.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

▪ 9586 of July 6, 1945, establishing the Medal of Freedom, is hereby amended to read as follows: "By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the United States, it is ordered as follows: "1.
▪ There is hereby established a medal to be known as the Medal of Freedom, with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances.
▪ The Medal and its appurtenances shall be of appropriate design, approved by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense.
▪ The Medal of Freedom shall not be awarded to a citizen of the United States for any act or service performed within the continental limits of the United States or to a member of the armed forces of the United States.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
511
2,916 characters
Estimated Read Time
3 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
19.5
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
-0.19
Framers' Alignment index
📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations 

Exec. Order No. 10336, Harry S Truman (Apr 3, 1952). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-10336-amendment-executive-order-no-9586-july-6-1945-establishing-the-medal.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →
Executive Order No. 9586 of July 6, 1945, establishing the Medal of Freedom, is hereby amended to read as follows: "By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the armed forces of the United States, it is ordered as follows: "1. There is hereby established a medal to be known as the Medal of Freedom, with accompanying ribbons and appurtenances. The Medal and its appurtenances shall be of appropriate design, approved by the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense. "2. (a) The Medal of Freedom may be awarded to any person not hereinafter specifically excluded who, on or after December 7, 1941, has performed a meritorious act or service which (1) has aided the United States in the prosecution of a war against an enemy or enemies, (2) has aided any nation engaged with the United States in the prosecution of a war against a common enemy or enemies, or (3), during any period of national emergency declared by the President or the Congress to exist, has furthered the interests of the security of the United States or of any nation allied or associated with the United States during such period, and for which act or service the award of any other United States medal or decoration is considered inappropriate. "2. (b) Under special circumstances, and without regard to the existence of a state of war or national emergency, the Medal of Freedom may also be awarded by, or at the direction of, the President to any person, not hereinafter specifically excluded, for performance of a meritorious act or service in the interests of the security of the United States. "3. The Medal of Freedom shall not be awarded to a citizen of the United States for any act or service performed within the continental limits of the United States or to a member of the armed forces of the United States. "4. The Medal of Freedom may be awarded by the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, or the Secretary of the Air Force, or by such officers as they may respectively designate. Awards shall be made under such regulations as the said Secretaries shall severally prescribe, and such regulations shall, so far as practicable be of uniform application. "5. The head of any department or agency of the United States not named herein may recommend to the Secretary of Defense the award of the Medal of Freedom and appurtenances thereto for meritorious acts or services performed under the cognizance or direction of the head of such department or agency, and the Secretary of Defense may make such awards. "6. No more than one Medal of Freedom shall be awarded to any one person, but for a subsequent act or service justifying such an award a suitable device may be awarded to be worn with the medal. "7. The Medal of Freedom may be awarded posthumously." HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, April 3, 1952