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Executive Order 6657 ⚖️✨ Zone 2: Zone of Twilight Constitutional Neutral (+0.02) 📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority

Executive Order 6657-A—Regulations for Payment of Losses Sustained by Officers, Enlisted Men, and Employees of the United States in Foreign Countries Due to Appreciation of Foreign Currencies in Their Relation to the American Dollar

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Tuesday, March 27, 1934
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5 min read (1,078 words)

Executive Brief • At a Glance

⏱️ 5 min read (1,078 words) • ● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate

I prescribe the following temporary regulations, which shall apply to all officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States while in service in foreign countries.

⚖️ Constitutional Footing
⚖️✨ Zone 2: Zone of Twilight
Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
🏛️ Scope & Affected Sectors
Armed Forces & Military Establishments Sovereign State Governments & Localities Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants Foreign Nations & International Entities

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 Regulations for Payment of Losses Sustained by Officers, Enlisted Men, and Employees of the United States in Foreign Countries Due to Appreciation of Foreign Currencies in Their Relation to the American Dollar. I prescribe the following temporary regulations, which shall apply to all officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States while in service in foreign countries. DEFINITION 1. The words in the act "while in service in foreign countries", for the purpose of these regulations, shall be understood to mean ( a ) while employed in or on assignment or detail to a post of duty in a foreign country, ( b ) while…

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

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I prescribe the following temporary regulations, which shall apply to all officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States while in service in foreign countries.

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The words in the act "while in service in foreign countries", for the purpose of these regulations, shall be understood to mean ( a ) while employed in or on assignment or detail to a post of duty in a foreign country, ( b ) while en route through a foreign country or on a foreign vessel to or from such post, ( c ) while, during such assignment or detail abroad, on leave of absence with pay in a foreign country, ( d ) while traveling in foreign countries under official orders, or ( e ) while attached to and serving on board United States vessels stationed in foreign waters for not less than 30 consecutive days.

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The purpose of these regulations is to provide for reimbursement to officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States (hereinafter referred to as employees), for losses sustained from appreciation of foreign currencies in their relation to the American dollar, as authorized under the aforesaid act.

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Claim for reimbursement for such loss shall be accompanied by the best evidence, available to the employee, of the rate at which conversion was made.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities 🏛️ Public Health & Medical Institutions
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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 2 (Zone of Twilight)
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"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."

— Justice Robert H. Jackson, Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
JM

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.

Madisonian Stance: Vigilant / Cautionary
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: Strong Prerogative Support
GM

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.

Anti-Federalist Stance: Eternal Vigilance Required
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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.

⚖️ Discretionary Twilight Zone
50 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8

Legislative Encroachment & Purse

Moderate Friction

Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.

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

Executive Scope & Faithfulness

Moderate Friction

Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.

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

Federalism & State Sovereignty

High Friction

Creates friction with the Tenth Amendment by conditioning state grants, mandating local compliance, or preempting state police powers.

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

Due Process & Individual Rights

Low Friction

Focuses on internal governmental operations with no direct impairment of private rights or property.

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

Youngstown Jacksonian Tier

Moderate Friction

The order relies on inherent Article II executive discretion, civil service management, or foreign diplomacy where Congress has neither expressly approved nor prohibited action.

Benchmark: Concurrent Authority / Congressional Silence
⚖️ Audit Synthesis

This order operates within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.

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
1,078
6,720 characters
Estimated Read Time
5 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
8.2
Grade 8
Language Tone Score
+0.02
Constitutional Neutral
How is this scored?
Text size:

Official Archival Text

View Source Document

Pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act entitled "An Act to authorize annual appropriations to meet losses sustained by officers and employees of the United States in foreign countries due to appreciation of foreign currencies in their relation to the American dollar, and for other purposes", approved March 26, 1934, and in order to afford immediate relief, I prescribe the following temporary regulations, which shall apply to all officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States while in service in foreign countries. DEFINITION 1. The words in the act "while in service in foreign countries", for the purpose of these regulations, shall be understood to mean ( a ) while employed in or on assignment or detail to a post of duty in a foreign country, ( b ) while en route through a foreign country or on a foreign vessel to or from such post, ( c ) while, during such assignment or detail abroad, on leave of absence with pay in a foreign country, ( d ) while traveling in foreign countries under official orders, or ( e ) while attached to and serving on board United States vessels stationed in foreign waters for not less than 30 consecutive days. PURPOSE OF REGULATIONS 2. The purpose of these regulations is to provide for reimbursement to officers, enlisted men, and employees of the United States (hereinafter referred to as employees), for losses sustained from appreciation of foreign currencies in their relation to the American dollar, as authorized under the aforesaid act. METHOD OF COMPUTATION OF PAYMENT OF LOSSES 3. ( a ) The loss above referred to is that calculated on the basis of conversion into foreign currency of the employee's net salary and net allowances, except as provided in paragraphs ( b ) and ( c ) of this section. ( b ) In case of employees serving under the War and Navy Departments (with the exception of military and naval attachés and other employees attached to their offices, who shall be governed by paragraph ( a ) of this section), the loss is that calculated on the basis of conversion into foreign currency of the employee's net pay and allowances. ( c ) In case of employees traveling in foreign countries under official orders, not employed in or on assignment or detail to a post of duty in a foreign country, no part of the employee's salary shall be included in the loss referred to for the purposes of these regulations. ( d ) In case of employees who sustained losses arising from the conversion of salaries or allowances (including those paid from fees either in foreign or American currency) during the period from July 15, 1933, to the effective date of this order, the losses shall be calculated as provided in paragraphs ( a ), ( b ), and ( c ) of this section. Claim for reimbursement for such loss shall be accompanied by the best evidence, available to the employee, of the rate at which conversion was made. ( e ) As used in this section: The term "net salary" means the base salary less any deduction for contribution to the retirement or other fund, or on account of percentage deductions in compensation. The term "net allowances" means allowances paid to the employee. The term "net pay and allowances" means the employee's full pay, including extra or additional pay, and all allowances (other than those furnished in kind) less deductions therefrom on account of allotments, fines and forfeitures, clothing, hospital, Civil Service Retirement Fund, percentage deductions in compensation, and other sundry checkages. BASIC EXCHANGE RATES FOR COMPUTATION OF LOSSES 4. For the basis of computation of losses as referred to in the aforesaid act, the following rates are prescribed as the basic rates for foreign currencies: COUNTRY MONETARY UNIT BASIC RATE Albania Gold Fr. 19.303 Argentina Peso 29.529 Austria Schilling 14.0177 Belgium Belga 13.9315 Bolivia Boliviano 36.5 Brazil Milreis 7.8883 Bulgaria Lev .7187 Canada Dollar 93.5456 Chile Peso 10.1827 China Yuan 23.5143 Colombia Peso 95.743 Costa Rica Colon 25.00 Cuba Peso 100.00 Czechoslovakia Koruna 2.9631 Danzig Gulden 19.4052 Denmark Krone 22.6408 Dominican Republic Dollar 100.00 Ecuador Sucre 20.00 Egypt Pound 428.6069 El Salvador Colon 50.00 Estonia Kroon 26.6161 Ethiopia M. T. Dollar 21.6288 France Franc 3.9243 France (Possessions) Algiers Franc 3.9243 Martinique Franc 3.9243 Saigon Franc 3.9243 Tahiti Franc 3.9243 Tunis Franc 3.9243 Finland Markka 2.0674 Germany Reichsmark 23.74 Great Britain Pound 417.9441 Great Britain (Possessions) Aden Rupee 31.4953 Australia Pound 346.1882 Barbados Dollar 76.36 Belize Dollar 100.00 Colombo Rupee 31.5507 Gibraltar Pound 423.4492 Hamilton, Bermuda Pound 417.9441 Hong Kong Dollar 25.8643 India Rupee 31.1568 Kingston, Jamaica Pound 417.9441 Lagos Pound 422.1153 Malta Pound 423.0069 Nassau Pound 417.9441 Nairobi Pound 423.2107 Newfoundland Dollar 100.00 New Zealand Pound 357.9337 Penang Dollar 48.2202 Singapore Dollar 48.2202 Trinidad Dollar 100.00 Greece Drachma 1.0784 Guatemala Quetzal 100.00 Haiti Gourde 20.00 Honduras Lempira 50.00 Hungary Pengo 17.4601 Iraq Pound 415.5385 Irish Free State Pound 417.9441 Italy Lira 5.1804 Japan Yen 39.7627 Latvia Lat 19.2915 Liberia Pound 399.00 Lithuania Litas 9.9969 Luxemburg Franc 2.69 Mexico Peso 35.5555 Morocco Franc 3.84 Netherlands Florin 40.2597 Netherlands (Possessions) Surabaya Florin 40.2597 Curaçao Florin 40.2597 Batavia Florin 40.2597 Medan Florin 40.2597 Nicaragua Cordoba 100.00 Norway Krone 22.4995 Palestine Pound 414.0787 Panama Balboa 100.00 Paraguay Peso 1.52 Persia Rial 5.539 Peru Sol 29.723 Poland Zloty 11.1939 Portugal Escudo 3.8608 Portugal (Possessions) Lourenço Marques Pound 478.24 Rumania Leu .5957 Siam Baht 37.78 Spain Peseta 9.3863 Switzerland Gold franc 19.3961 Sweden Krona 22.8103 Syria Syrian Lb. 78.54 Turkey Lira 47.1906 Union So. Africa Pound 463.2315 Uruguay Peso 59.1743 U.S.S.R. Ruble 51.74 Venezuela Bolivar 18.71 Yugoslavia Dinar 1.6923 Yunnanfu Piaster 38.00 METHOD OF PAYMENT TO EMPLOYEES 5. From and after the effective date of this order, each employee shall be entitled to receive in foreign currency such amount as he would have received by converting into such foreign currency, at the basic rates specified in section 4, his net salary and net allowances, or his net pay and allowances, as provided in section 3. AUTHORITY TO MODIFY 6. The foregoing regulations are temporary and subject to change hereafter, and for the purpose of further adjustment future orders or regulations may, with respect to compensation for exchange losses, be retroactive to the date of this order or to July 15, 1933. EFFECTIVE DATE 7. This order shall take effect as of April 1, 1934. FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, March 27, 1934.

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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. 6657 (Mar. 27, 1934), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-6657-regulations-for-payment-losses-sustained-officers-enlisted-men-and.