Whereas Executive Order No. 6651 of March 23, 1934, establishes the office of Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Trade and designates the functions and duties to be performed by the head of said office pertaining to the promotion of foreign trade; and Whereas it is desired that the provisions of the said Executive order shall not interfere with the continuance of the functions now being exercised by the Executive Committee on Commercial Policy and that the Special Adviser shall cooperate with and, in the field of duties defined by the said Executive order, supplement the work of the said Executive Committee on Commercial Policy; Now, Therefore , by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered that the said Executive Committee on Commercial Policy as established by the letter of November 11, 1933, from the President to the Secretary of State shall continue to exercise its present functions for the purpose of coordinating the commercial policy of the United States. The chairman of the said committee shall be a representative of the Department of State who shall be chosen by the Secretary of State. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, March 27, 1934.
Executive Order 6656—Continuing the Functions of the Executive Committee on Commercial Policy
Executive Brief • At a Glance
The said Executive Committee on Commercial Policy as established by the letter of November 11, 1933, from the President to the Secretary of State shall continue to exercise its present functions for the purpose of coordinating the commercial policy of the United States.
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 March 27, 1934, this order concerns Continuing the Functions of the Executive Committee on Commercial Policy. The said Executive Committee on Commercial Policy as established by the letter of November 11, 1933, from the President to the Secretary of State shall continue to exercise its present functions for the purpose of coordinating the commercial policy of the United States. The chairman of the said committee shall be a representative of the Department of State who shall be chosen by the Secretary of State.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
The said Executive Committee on Commercial Policy as established by the letter of November 11, 1933, from the President to the Secretary of State shall continue to exercise its present functions for the purpose of coordinating the commercial policy of the United States.
The chairman of the said committee shall be a representative of the Department of State who shall be chosen by the Secretary of State.
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 pursuant to an express or implied authorization of Congress, his authority is at its maximum, for it includes all that he possesses in his own right plus all that Congress can delegate."
James Madison
Separation of Powers & Legislative Primacy
"The constitutional magistracy was designed not to invent policy, but to be the faithful instrument of the laws passed by the people's representatives." — Speech in the First Congress (1789)
Madison would approve the structural posture of this order. The President acts strictly in subordination to statutory authority granted under Article II, Section 3 ("take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"). The checks and balances hold firm because the policy origin remains with the legislature.
Alexander Hamilton
The Energetic Executive & Unified Command
"A feeble Executive implies a feeble execution of the government; and a government ill executed, whatever it may be in theory, must be, in practice, a bad government." — Federalist No. 70 (1788)
Hamilton would view this directive as the natural and indispensable functioning of administrative leadership. Without the power to coordinate agencies, manage personnel, and resolve operational ambiguities, the modern presidency would be reduced to an impotent figurehead.
George Mason
Bill of Rights, Due Process & 10th Amendment
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." — 10th Amendment to the US Constitution (1791)
Mason would scrutinize whether this federal directive intrudes into police powers, land stewardship, or municipal domains historically reserved to local citizens. The Anti-Federalist demand is that federal administration must never supplant state self-governance.
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
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
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 President operates strictly as the constitutional Chief Executive, carrying out policy established by Congress with strong statutory backing.
This order operates in close harmony with statutory authority and standard Article II supervisory execution.
Referenced By Later Executive Orders (2)
Subsequent presidents who cited, amended, continued, or revoked this directive in later orders.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 6656 (Mar. 27, 1934), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6656-continuing-the-functions-the-executive-committee-commercial-policy.