Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps, as amended by Executive Orders No. 3246, 3391, 4547, 5268, and 6918, dated, respectively, March 17, 1920, January 27, 1921, November 29, 1926, January 25, 1930, and December 12, 1934, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and in order to coordinate the activities of the various map-making and surveying agencies of the Government, to standardize the results of such activities, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of work, I hereby establish the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps (hereinafter referred to as the 'Board'), which shall be composed of a representative of each of the following agencies: 1. Corps of Engineers, War Department. 2. United States Coast and Geodetic Survey, Department of Commerce. 3. United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior. 4. General Land Office, Department of the Interior. 5. Division of Topography, Post Office Department. 6. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, Department of Agriculture. 7. Bureau of Reclamation, Department of the Interior. 8. Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Agriculture. 9. Office of Indian Affairs, Department of the Interior. 10. Mississippi River Commission, War Department. 11. United States Lake Survey, War Department. 12. International (Canada) Boundary Commission, Department of State. 13. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture. 14. United States Hydrographic Office, Navy Department. 15. Military Intelligence Division, General Staff, War Department. 16. Federal Power Commission. 17. Air Corps, War Department. 18. Bureau of Aeronautics, Navy Department. 19. Bureau of Air Commerce, Department of Commerce. 20. Geographic Section, Department of State. 21. Division of Maps, Library of Congress. 22. Bureau of Lighthouses, Department of Commerce. 23. Tennessee Valley Authority. 24. Soil Conservation Service, Department of Agriculture. "The individual members of the Board shall be appointed by the heads of their respective agencies and shall serve without additional compensation. "The Board shall perfect a permanent organization and shall hold meetings at stated intervals, to which representatives of the map-using public shall be invited for the purpose of conference and advice. "The Board shall make recommendations to the executive departments, independent establishments, and the President for the purpose of aiding in the coordination of all map-making and surveying activities of the Government and in the settlement of questions arising in the executive departments and independent establishments relating to surveys and maps. "The Board shall establish a central information office in the United States Geological Survey for the purpose of collecting, classifying, and furnishing to the public, information concerning all map and survey data available in the various Government agencies and elsewhere. "The various executive departments and independent establishments are requested to make full use of the Board as an advisory body and to furnish all available information and data called for by the Board." FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, January 4, 1936.
Executive Order 7262 ⚖️✨ Zone 2: Zone of Twilight Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
Executive Order 7262—Amendment of Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, Establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps
Executive Brief • At a Glance
⏱️ 2 min read (484 words) •
● In Effect
🎯 Primary Mandate
Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps, as amended by Executive Orders No. 3246, 3391, 4547, 5268, and 6918, dated, respectively, March 17, 1920, January 27, 1921, November 29, 1926, January 25, 1930, and December 12, 1934, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and in order to coordinate the activities of the various map-making and surveying agencies of the Government, to standardize the results of such activities, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of work, I hereby establish the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps (hereinafter referred to as the 'Board'), which shall be composed of a…
⚖️ 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 Private Citizens & Property Owners
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 January 4, 1936, this order concerns Amendment of Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, Establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps. Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps, as amended by Executive Orders No. 3246, 3391, 4547, 5268, and 6918, dated, respectively, March 17, 1920, January 27, 1921, November 29, 1926, January 25, 1930, and December 12, 1934, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and in…
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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Executive Order No. 3206, of December 30, 1919, establishing the Board of Surveys and Maps, as amended by Executive Orders No. 3246, 3391, 4547, 5268, and 6918, dated, respectively, March 17, 1920, January 27, 1921, November 29, 1926, January 25, 1930, and December 12, 1934, is hereby further amended to read as follows: "Under and by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and in order to coordinate the activities of the various map-making and surveying agencies of the Government, to standardize the results of such activities, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of work, I hereby establish the Federal Board of Surveys and Maps (hereinafter referred to as the 'Board'), which shall be composed of a…
▪
"The individual members of the Board shall be appointed by the heads of their respective agencies and shall serve without additional compensation.
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"The Board shall perfect a permanent organization and shall hold meetings at stated intervals, to which representatives of the map-using public shall be invited for the purpose of conference and advice.
▪
"The Board shall make recommendations to the executive departments, independent establishments, and the President for the purpose of aiding in the coordination of all map-making and surveying activities of the Government and in the settlement of questions arising in the executive departments and independent establishments relating to surveys and maps.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants
🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
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.
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight)
§
"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
47 / 100 friction index
Dimension 1 • Art. I, §1 & §8
Moderate Friction
Legislative Encroachment & Purse
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
Moderate Friction
Executive Scope & Faithfulness
Directs internal executive branch machinery, agency workflows, and federal personnel.
Benchmark: Faithfully execute laws enacted by Congress vs. unilateral decree.
Dimension 3 • 10th Amendment
Moderate Friction
Federalism & State Sovereignty
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
Moderate Friction
Due Process & Individual Rights
Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.
Benchmark: Protection of private property, contracts, liberty, and procedural justice.
Dimension 5 • Separation of Powers
Moderate Friction
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.
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%).
ℹ️
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
484
3,252 characters
Estimated Read Time
2 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
12.6
High School
Text size:
Related Executive Orders
1 order cited directly in this text, plus related actions from this administration.
EO 3206 Dec 30, 1919
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 3206—Constituting Board of Surveys and Maps
📜 Art. II §2: Commander-in-Chief Supervisory Authority
The White House, December 30, 1919. In order to coordinate the activities of the various map-making agencies of the executive departments of the Government, to standardize results, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of work, I hereby constitute a Board of Surveys and Maps, to…
Woodrow Wilson High School • 2m
EO 7266 Jan 4, 1936
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 7266—Modification of Executive Order No. 6910, of November 26, 1934, as Amended, Withdrawing Public Lands in Certain States, Wyoming
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
Executive Order No. 6910, of November 26, 1934, as amended by Executive Order No. 7048, of May 20, 1935, temporarily withdrawing all public lands in certain States for classification and other purposes, be, and it is hereby, modified to the extent necessary to enable the…
Franklin D. Roosevelt Grade 8 • 1m
EO 7265 Jan 4, 1936
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 7265—Modification of Executive Order of December 11, 1912, Withdrawing Public Lands as Power-Site Reserve No. 322, California
📜 10th Amend: Intergovernmental Federalism Cooperation
The Executive order of December 11, 1912, withdrawing certain public lands in California as power-site reserve no. 322, be, and it is hereby, modified to the extent of permitting the State of California to use the following-described land in connection with Federal and State…
Franklin D. Roosevelt High School • 1m
EO 7264 Jan 4, 1936
⚖️✨ Zone 2 (Zone of Twilight) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 7264—Revocation of Executive Order No. 5807, of February 25, 1932, Withdrawing Public Lands, Colorado
📜 Art. II §1: Executive Discretion & Internal Operations
Executive Order No. 5807, of February 25, 1932, withdrawing public lands in T. 11 S., R. 96 W. of the sixth principal meridian, Colorado, pending a resurvey, is hereby revoked.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Grade 7 • 1m
EO 7263 Jan 4, 1936
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 7263—Designating the Secretary of the Treasury to Act in Respect of Interest or Claims of the United States
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
I hereby designate and authorize the Secretary of the Treasury to act in respect of the interest or claims, within the purview of the provisions of the said act as amended, of the United States, or any agency thereof, or any corporation (other than the Reconstruction Finance…
Franklin D. Roosevelt Post-Graduate Legal • 1m
EO 7268 Jan 6, 1936
🏛️✅ Zone 1 (Maximum Authority) Constitutional Neutral
Executive Order 7268—Designation of Coast Guard Vessels for Special Winter Cruising
📜 Art. I §8: Delegated Tariff & Commerce Execution
The Secretary of the Treasury cause a suitable number of Coast Guard vessels, when the necessities of the service permit it, to cruise upon the coast in the season of severe weather and to afford such aid to distressed navigators as their circumstances may require; and such…
Franklin D. Roosevelt High School • 1m
📜
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 7262 (Jan. 4, 1936), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-7262-amendment-executive-order-no-3206-december-30-1919-establishing-the.
