Pursuant to the authority vested in me by section 91 of the act of Congress approved April 30, 1900 (31 Stat. 159), entitled "An act to provide a government for the Territory of Hawaii", as amended by section 7 of the act of Congress approved May 27, 1910 (36 Stat. 447), it is hereby ordered that the tract of land situated near Puolo Point, Hanapepe, Island of Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, set aside for military purposes by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, be, and the same is hereby, restored to the use of the Territory of Hawaii for aeronautical purposes, and for no other purpose: Provided, however, that the following described tract of land within the boundaries of the land withdrawn by said Executive Order No. 4760 is excepted from said restoration and is hereby retained and set aside for military purposes: Beginning at a point marked by a hub, at the end of the sixth course of the boundaries of the land withdrawn by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, the coordinates of said point of beginning, referred to Government survey triangulation station "Puolo" being 2,471.6 feet north and 1,613.9 feet east, and running by true azimuths and distances as follows: 1. 327° 08' 20" 630.00 feet; 2. 57° 08' 20" 440.00 feet; 3. 147° 08' 20" 630.00 feet to a point on the sixth course of the boundaries of the land withdrawn by Executive Order No. 4760, 1,798.8 feet from the initial point of said course; 4. 237° 08' 20" 440.00 feet along said sixth course, to the point of beginning, and containing an area of 5.994 acres exclusive of 30-foot roadway reserved for the use of the U. S. Lighthouse Service and for other purposes (area 0.370 acres). Summary of Areas Acres Area restored to Territory of Hawaii ------------------ 78.406 Portion of reserved road within said parcel ------------ 1.830 ——— 80.236 Area retained for military purposes ------------------- 5.994 Portion of reserved road within said parcel ----------- 0.370 ——— 6.364 ——— 86.600 And provided that the land so restored to the Territory of Hawaii shall be at all times subject to the following reservation, to wit: That said tract of land shall be available for the taking off and landing of airplanes or airships belonging to the United States without charge, such reserved privilege to include such temporary occupation for operation and maintenance of Government airplanes or airships as may from time to time be deemed necessary by competent military authority. HERBERT HOOVER The White House, July 25, 1930.
Executive Order 5405—Restoring Portion of Puolo Point Military Reservation to the Territory of Hawaii
Executive Brief • At a Glance
The tract of land situated near Puolo Point, Hanapepe, Island of Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, set aside for military purposes by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, be, and the same is hereby, restored to the use of the Territory of Hawaii for aeronautical purposes, and for no other purpose: Provided, however, that the following described tract of land within the boundaries of the land withdrawn by said Executive Order No. 4760 is excepted from said restoration and is hereby retained and set aside for military purposes: Beginning at a point marked by a hub, at the end of the sixth course of the boundaries of the land withdrawn by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, the coordinates of said point of beginning…
Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis
Early Statesman synthesis distilling legal jargon into practical meaning, statutory anchors, and structural constitutional impacts.
Signed by President Herbert Hoover on July 25, 1930, this order concerns Restoring Portion of Puolo Point Military Reservation to the Territory of Hawaii. The tract of land situated near Puolo Point, Hanapepe, Island of Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, set aside for military purposes by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, be, and the same is hereby, restored to the use of the Territory of Hawaii for aeronautical purposes, and for no other purpose: Provided, however, that the following described tract of land within the boundaries of the land withdrawn by…
Key Directives & Operative Actions
The tract of land situated near Puolo Point, Hanapepe, Island of Kauai, Territory of Hawaii, set aside for military purposes by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, be, and the same is hereby, restored to the use of the Territory of Hawaii for aeronautical purposes, and for no other purpose: Provided, however, that the following described tract of land within the boundaries of the land withdrawn by said Executive Order No. 4760 is excepted from said restoration and is hereby retained and set aside for military purposes: Beginning at a point marked by a hub, at the end of the sixth course of the boundaries of the land withdrawn by Executive Order No. 4760, dated November 15, 1927, the coordinates of said point of beginning…
Summary of Areas Acres Area restored to Territory of Hawaii ------------------ 78.406 Portion of reserved road within said parcel ------------ 1.830 ——— 80.236 Area retained for military purposes ------------------- 5.994 Portion of reserved road within said parcel ----------- 0.370 ——— 6.364 ——— 86.600 And provided that the land so restored to the Territory of Hawaii shall be at all times subject to the following reservation, to wit: That said tract of land shall be available for the taking off and landing of airplanes or airships belonging to the United States without charge, such reserved privilege to include such temporary occupation for operation and maintenance of Government airplanes or airships as may from time to time be deemed…
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
Policy Areas & Topics
The Framers' Constitutional Council
1787 PrismEvaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.
"When the President acts in absence of either a congressional grant or denial of authority, he can only rely upon his own independent powers, but there is a zone of twilight in which he and Congress may have concurrent authority."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"Power is of an encroaching nature, and it ought to be effectually restrained from passing the limits assigned to it." — Federalist No. 48 (1788)
Madison would view this order with watchful scrutiny. Operating in the 'Zone of Twilight' where Congress is silent, each such directive establishes an administrative precedent that steadily expands the executive perimeter at the expense of legislative primacy.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"The direction of war implies the direction of the common strength; and the power of directing and employing the common strength must be under the direction of the single hand of the Executive." — Federalist No. 74 (1788)
Hamilton would forcefully champion executive discretion here. For foreign entanglements, commerce defense, and national security, deliberative assemblies are too slow and faction-ridden. A unified, energetic Executive exercising swift command is precisely what the Philadelphia Convention intended for national preservation.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The president will be surrounded by flatterers and sycophants... and the great powers of the executive will gradually absorb the liberties of the people." — Cato IV (Anti-Federalist, 1787)
The Anti-Federalist prism advises continuous democratic vigilance. Even routine administrative directives aggregate centralized federal power away from town halls and state assemblies toward a distant executive apparatus.
Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions
An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
Operates within delegated statutory execution without modifying legislative appropriations or taxing powers.
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Exercises standard supervisory executive authority to faithfully execute existing statutes.
Federalism & State Sovereignty
Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.
Due Process & Individual Rights
Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.
Youngstown Jacksonian Tier
The order relies on inherent Article II executive discretion, civil service management, or foreign diplomacy where Congress has neither expressly approved nor prohibited action.
This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (1)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 5405 (July 25, 1930), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-5405-restoring-portion-puolo-point-military-reservation-the-territory.