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Executive Order 6260 ⚖️⚠️ Zone 3: Lowest Ebb Constitutional Friction / Overreach (-0.19) 📜 Art. I §8: Legislative Prerogative Tension (Purse & Commerce)

Executive Order 6260—Relating to the Hoarding, Export, and Earmarking of Gold Coin, Bullion, or Currency and to Transactions in Foreign Exchange

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Monday, August 28, 1933
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11 min read (2,236 words)

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 11 min read (2,236 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

Within fifteen days from the date of this Order every person in possession of and every person owning gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates shall make under oath and file as hereinafter provided a return to the Secretary of the Treasury containing true and complete information relative thereto, including the name and address of the person making the return; the kind and amount of such coin, bullion, or certificates held and the location thereof; if held for another, the capacity' in which held and the person for whom held, together with the post-office address of such person; and the nature of the transaction requiring the holding of such coin, bullion, or certificates and a statement explaining why such transaction cannot be…

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
⚖️⚠️ Zone 3: Lowest Ebb
Incompatible with Expressed Will of Congress or High Friction
📜 Art. I §8: Legislative Prerogative Tension (Purse & Commerce)
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Private Citizens & Property Owners Foreign Nations & International Entities Public Health & Medical Institutions

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

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

Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 28, 1933, this order concerns Relating to the Hoarding, Export, and Earmarking of Gold Coin, Bullion, or Currency and to Transactions in Foreign Exchange. By Virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 5(b) of the Act of October 6, 1917, as amended by Section 2 of the Act of March 9, 1933, entitled "An Act to Provide Relief in the Existing National Emergency in Banking and for other Purposes," I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America , do declare that a period of national emergency exists, and by virtue of said authority and of all…

Constitutional Assessment: An early statesman would subject this decree to rigorous scrutiny under Article I, Section 8. The Framers deliberately committed commerce, taxation, tariffs, and revenue to Congress alone. To the extent this order imposes duties or financial burdens without explicit statutory pre-authorization, it creates friction with the separation of powers.

Key Directives & Operative Actions

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Returns

Within fifteen days from the date of this Order every person in possession of and every person owning gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates shall make under oath and file as hereinafter provided a return to the Secretary of the Treasury containing true and complete information relative thereto, including the name and address of the person making the return; the kind and amount of such coin, bullion, or certificates held and the location thereof; if held for another, the capacity' in which held and the person for whom held, together with the post-office address of such person; and the nature of the transaction requiring the holding of such coin, bullion, or certificates and a statement explaining why such transaction cannot be…

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Acquisition of gold coin and gold bullion

No person other than a Federal Reserve Bank shall after the date of this Order acquire in the United States any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates except under license therefor issued pursuant to this Executive Order, provided that member banks of the Federal Reserve System may accept delivery of such coin, bullion, and certificates for surrender promptly to a Federal Reserve Bank, and provided further that persons requiring gold for use in the industry, profession, or art in which they are regularly engaged may replenish their stocks of gold up to an aggregate amount of $100, by acquisitions of gold bullion held under licenses issued under Section 5(b), without necessity of obtaining a license for such acquisitions.

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Holding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates

After thirty days from the date of this Order no person shall hold in his possession or retain any interest, legal or equitable, in any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates situated in the United States and owned by any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, except under license therefor issued pursuant to this Executive Order; provided, however, that licenses shall not be required in order to hold in possession or retain an interest in gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates with respect to which a return need not be filed under Section 3 hereof.

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Earmarking and export of gold coin and gold bullion

After the date of this Order no person shall earmark or export any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates from the United States, except under license therefor issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to the provisions of this Order.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities 🏛️ Public Health & Medical Institutions 🏛️ Financial Institutions & Monetary Authorities
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The Framers' Constitutional Council

1787 Prism

Evaluating this order against the constitutional debates of 1787 and the limits of Article II executive power.

⚖️⚠️ Zone 3 (Lowest Ebb)
§

"When the President takes measures incompatible with the expressed or implied will of Congress, his power is at its lowest ebb."

— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Incompatible with Expressed Will of Congress or High Friction
JM

James Madison

Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy

"The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands... may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny." — Federalist No. 47 (1788)

Madison would express grave alarm over this order. By asserting independent authority in tension with legislative limits or the Bill of Rights, the Executive risks collapsing the separation of powers into unilateral rule. Under the Madisonian model, no emergency justifies the Executive substituting its decree for a deliberative Act of Congress.

Madisonian Stance: Strict Dissent (Overreach)
AH

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.

Hamiltonian Stance: Qualified Caution
GM

George Mason

Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment

"The purse and the sword ought never to be in the same hands... nor the liberties of the citizen placed at the pleasure of a single magistrate." — Virginia Ratifying Convention (1788)

George Mason and the Anti-Federalists would sound a fierce warning. They feared that Article II would inevitably evolve into an elective monarchy. When an executive order impacts private rights, property, or civil liberties without individualized judicial process, Mason would see their darkest predictions verified.

Anti-Federalist Stance: Vehement Objection
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Five Measurable "Constitutional Friction" Dimensions

An objective audit measuring potential separation-of-powers tension against the United States Constitution and established Supreme Court doctrine.

⚠️ Elevated Constitutional Friction
79 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

High Friction

Touches upon core congressional prerogatives: raises appropriations reallocation, tariff imposition, or statutory preemption questions.

Benchmark: Power of the purse, taxes/tariffs, and rule of law reserved to Congress.
Dimension 2 • Art. II, §1 & §3

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

High Friction

Invokes broad unilateral or emergency executive authorities that test the constitutional boundary of the Take Care Clause.

Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment

Federalism & State Sovereignty

Moderate Friction

Engages state and local partners in cooperative federalism programs.

Benchmark: Police powers and un-delegated responsibilities reserved to the States.
Dimension 4 • 5th & 14th Amendments

Due Process & Individual Rights

High Friction

Scrutinized under the Bill of Rights for potential impact on private contracts, property rights, or procedural due process.

Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

High Friction

The order asserts independent Article II prerogative against statutory constraints, reallocates funds without explicit appropriation, or stretches executive power into realms constitutionally reserved to the legislature or judiciary.

Benchmark: Incompatible with Expressed Will of Congress or High Friction
⚖️ Audit Synthesis

This directive engages significant constitutional friction across statutory authorization, legislative prerogatives, or individual liberties.

Weighted composite: Art. I (25%), Art. II (25%), Federalism (15%), Due Process (15%), Youngstown (20%).
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How to read these dimensions: Executive power expands whenever an administration acts without explicit statutory authorization from Congress (Article I), touches upon police powers historically reserved to the states (Tenth Amendment), or limits private rights and property without judicial process. A low friction score indicates strict concordance with enacted law; a high friction score highlights orders testing the limits of presidential discretion.
Total Words
2,236
13,543 characters
Estimated Read Time
11 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
30.1
Post-Graduate Legal
Language Tone Score
-0.19
Constitutional Friction / Overreach
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

By Virtue of the authority vested in me by Section 5(b) of the Act of October 6, 1917, as amended by Section 2 of the Act of March 9, 1933, entitled "An Act to Provide Relief in the Existing National Emergency in Banking and for other Purposes," I, Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the United States of America , do declare that a period of national emergency exists, and by virtue of said authority and of all other authority vested in me, do hereby prescribe the following provisions for the investigation and regulation of the hoarding, earmarking, and export of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates by any person within the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof; and for the investigation and regulation of transactions in foreign exchange and transfers of credit and the export or withdrawal of currency from the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof by any person within the United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

Section 2. #sec-2

Definitions . As used in this Order the term "person" means an individual, partnership, association, or corporation; and the term "the United States" means the United States and any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

Section 3. #sec-3

Returns . Within fifteen days from the date of this Order every person in possession of and every person owning gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates shall make under oath and file as hereinafter provided a return to the Secretary of the Treasury containing true and complete information relative thereto, including the name and address of the person making the return; the kind and amount of such coin, bullion, or certificates held and the location thereof; if held for another, the capacity' in which held and the person for whom held, together with the post-office address of such person; and the nature of the transaction requiring the holding of such coin, bullion, or certificates and a statement explaining why such transaction cannot be carried out by the use of currency other than gold certificates; provided that no returns are required to be filed with respect to (a) Gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates in an amount not exceeding in the aggregate $100 belonging to any one person; (b) Gold coin having a recognized special value to collectors of rare and unusual coin; (c) Gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates acquired or held under a license heretofore granted by or under authority of the Secretary of the Treasury; and (d) Gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates owned by Federal Reserve Banks. Such return required to be made by an individual shall be filed with the Collector of Internal Revenue for the collection district in which such individual resides, or, if such individual has no legal residence in the United States, then with the Collector of Internal Revenue at Baltimore, Maryland. Such return required to be made by a partnership, association, or corporation shall be filed with the Collector of Internal Revenue of the collection district in which is located the principal place of business or principal office or agency of such partnership, association, or corporation, or, if it has no principal place of business or principal office or agency in the United States, then with the Collector of Internal Revenue at Baltimore, Maryland. Such return required to be made by an individual residing in Alaska shall be filed with the Collector of Internal Revenue at Seattle, Washington. Such return required to be made by a partnership, association, or corporation having its principal place of business or principal office or agency in Alaska shall be filed with the Collector of Internal Revenue at Seattle, Washington. The Secretary of the Treasury may grant a reasonable extension of time for filing a return, under such rules and regulations as he shall prescribe. No such extension shall be for more than forty-five days from the date of this Executive Order. An extension granted hereunder shall be deemed a license to hold for a period ending fifteen days after the expiration of the extension. The returns required to be made and filed under this Section shall constitute public records; but they shall be open to public inspection only upon order of the President and under rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of the Treasury. A return made and filed in accordance with this Section by the owner of the gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates described therein, or his duly authorized agent, shall be deemed an application for the issuance under Section 5 hereof of a license to hold such coin, bullion, and certificates.

Section 4. #sec-4

Acquisition of gold coin and gold bullion . No person other than a Federal Reserve Bank shall after the date of this Order acquire in the United States any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates except under license therefor issued pursuant to this Executive Order, provided that member banks of the Federal Reserve System may accept delivery of such coin, bullion, and certificates for surrender promptly to a Federal Reserve Bank, and provided further that persons requiring gold for use in the industry, profession, or art in which they are regularly engaged may replenish their stocks of gold up to an aggregate amount of $100, by acquisitions of gold bullion held under licenses issued under Section 5(b), without necessity of obtaining a license for such acquisitions. The Secretary of the Treasury, subject to such further regulations as he may prescribe, shall issue licenses authorizing the acquisition of (a) Gold coin or gold bullion which the Secretary is satisfied is required for a necessary and lawful transaction for which currency other than gold certificates cannot be used, by an applicant who establishes that since March 9, 1933, he has surrendered an equal amount of gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates to a banking institution in the continental United States or to the Treasurer of the United States; (b) Gold coin or gold bullion which the Secretary is satisfied is required by an applicant who holds a license to export such an amount of gold coin or gold bullion issued under subdivisions (c) or (d) of Section 6 hereof, and (c) Gold bullion which the Secretary, or such agency as he may designate, is satisfied is required for legitimate and customary use in industry, profession, or art by an applicant regularly engaged in such industry, profession, or art, or in the business of furnishing gold therefor. Licenses issued pursuant to this Section shall authorize the holder to acquire gold coin and gold bullion only from the sources specified by the Secretary of the Treasury in the regulations issued hereunder.

Section 5. #sec-5

Holding of gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates . After thirty days from the date of this Order no person shall hold in his possession or retain any interest, legal or equitable, in any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates situated in the United States and owned by any person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, except under license therefor issued pursuant to this Executive Order; provided, however, that licenses shall not be required in order to hold in possession or retain an interest in gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates with respect to which a return need not be filed under Section 3 hereof. The Secretary of the Treasury, subject to such further regulations as he may prescribe, shall issue licenses authorizing the holding of (a) Gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates, which the Secretary is satisfied are required by the person owning the same for necessary and lawful transactions for which currency, other than gold certificates, cannot be used; (b) Gold bullion which the Secretary, or such agency as he may designate, is satisfied is required for legitimate and customary use in industry, profession, or art by a person regularly engaged in such industry, profession, or art or in the business of furnishing gold therefor; (c) Gold coin and gold bullion earmarked or held in trust since before April 20, 1935, for a recognized foreign Government or foreign central bank or the Bank for International Settlements; and (d) Gold coin and gold bullion imported for reexport or held pending action upon application for export licenses.

Section 6. #sec-6

Earmarking and export of gold coin and gold bullion . After the date of this Order no person shall earmark or export any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates from the United States, except under license therefor issued by the Secretary of the Treasury pursuant to the provisions of this Order. The Secretary of the Treasury, in his discretion and subject to such regulations as he may prescribe, may issue licenses authorizing (a) The export of gold coin or gold bullion earmarked or held in trust since before April 20, 1933, for a recognized foreign Government, foreign central bank, or the Bank for International Settlements; (b) The export of gold, (i) imported for reexport, (ii) refined from gold-bearing materials imported by the applicant under an agreement to export gold, or (iii) in bullion containing not more than five ounces of gold per ton; (c) The export of gold coin or gold bullion to the extent actually required for the fulfillment of a contract entered into by the applicant prior to April 20, 1933; but not in excess of the amount of the gold coin, gold bullion, and gold certificates surrendered by the applicant on or after March 9, 1933; to a banking institution in the continental United States or to the Treasurer of the United States; and (d) The earmarking for foreign account and/or export of gold coin or gold bullion, with the approval of the President, for transactions which the Secretary of the Treasury may deem necessary to promote the public interest.

Section 7. #sec-7

United States Possessions—Shipments thereto . The provisions of Sections 3 and 5 of this Order shall not apply to gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates which are situated in the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands of the United States, and are owned by a person not domiciled in the continental United States. The provisions of Section 4 shall not apply to acquisitions by persons within the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Panama Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands of the United States of gold coin or gold bullion which has not been taken or sent thereto since April 5, 1933, from the continental United States or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof.

Section 8. #sec-8

Until further order, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized, through any agency that he may designate, to investigate, regulate, or prohibit, under such rules and regulations as he may prescribe, by means of licenses or otherwise, any transactions in foreign exchange, transfers of credit from any banking institution within the United States to any foreign branch or office of such banking institution or to any foreign bank or banker, and the export or withdrawal of currency from the United States, by any person within the United States; and the Secretary of the Treasury may require any person engaged in any transaction referred to herein to furnish under oath complete information relative thereto, including the production of any books of account, contracts, letters, or other papers, in connection therewith in the custody or control of such person either before or after such transaction is completed.

Section 9. #sec-9

The Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and empowered to issue such regulations as he may deem necessary to carry out the purposes of this Order. Such regulations may provide for the detention in the United States of any gold coin, gold bullion, or gold certificates sought to be transported beyond the limits of the continental United States, pending an investigation to determine if such coin, bullion, or certificates are held or are to be acquired in violation of the provisions of this Executive Order. Licenses and permits granted in accordance with the provisions of this Order and the regulations prescribed hereunder, may be issued through such officers or agencies as the Secretary may designate.

Section 10. #sec-10

Whoever willfully violates any provision of this Executive Order or of any license, order, rule, or regulation issued or prescribed hereunder, shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $10,000, or, if a natural person, may be imprisoned for not more than 10 years, or both; and any officer, director, or agent of any corporation who knowingly participates in such violation may be punished by a like fine, imprisonment, or both.

Section 11. #sec-11

The Executive Orders of April 5, 1933, Forbidding the Hoarding of Gold Coin, Gold Bullion and Gold Certificates, and April 20, 1933, relating to Foreign Exchange and the Earmarking and Export of Gold Coin or Bullion or Currency, respectively, are hereby revoked. The revocation of such prior Executive Orders shall not affect any act done, or any right accruing or accrued, or any suit or proceeding had or commenced in any civil or criminal cause prior to said revocation, but all liabilities under said Executive Orders shall continue and may be enforced in the same manner as if said revocation had not been made. This Executive Order and any regulations or licenses issued hereunder may be modified or revoked at any time. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, August 28, 1933.

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Referenced By Later Executive Orders (5)

Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 6260 (Aug. 28, 1933), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6260-relating-the-hoarding-export-and-earmarking-gold-coin-bullion-or.