Executive Order 3231 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 3231—Authorizing the Departure of Alien Enemies for European Ports

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Friday, February 20, 1920

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1 min read (172 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 Woodrow Wilson on 1920-02-20, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Authorizing the Departure of Alien Enemies for European Ports." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.

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

▪ Formal executive instruction issued by the President establishing official administrative policy on Authorizing the Departure of Alien Enemies for European Ports.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

172

1,023 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

26.7

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 3231, Woodrow Wilson (Feb 20, 1920). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-3231-authorizing-the-departure-alien-enemies-for-european-ports.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

The White House, February 20, 1920. By virtue of the authority vested in me by "An Act to Prevent in Time of War Departure From and Entry Into the United States Contrary to the Public Safety," approved May 22, 1918,1, Woodrow Wilson, President of the United States of America, hereby amend Executive Order of August 8, 1918, "Governing the- Issuance of Passports and the Granting of Permits to Depart From and Enter the United States," by the following provisions: Hereafter, persons who by any statute or proclamation may be defined as alien enemies, and who desire to depart by vessel from any port of the United States for any European port, shall not be required to obtain a permit of this Government prior to such departure. Such persons will be permitted to depart upon presentation of a passport issued, renewed, or visaed by a representative of their respective Governments within six months prior to the proposed date of departure, accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the income tax law. WOODROW WILSON