By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act of June 1, 1938, entitled "An act to authorize the President to permit citizens of the American republics to receive instruction at professional educational institutions and schools maintained and administered by the Government of the United States or by departments or agencies thereof" (52 Stat. 1034), it is ordered as follows: 1. Subject to the provisions and requirements of this Order, appropriate administrative regulations shall be drafted by each executive department or agency of the Government which maintains and administers educational institutions and schools coming within the scope of the legislation. Such regulations shall carefully observe the limitations imposed by the said act of June 24, 1938, and shall in each case include: (a) A list of the institutions and courses in the department or agency concerned in which instruction is available under the terms of the legislation. (b) A statement of the maximum number of students of the other American republics who may be accommodated in each such institution or course at any one time. (c) A statement of the qualifications to be required of students of the other American republics for admission, including examinations, if any, to be passed. (d) Provisions to safeguard information that may be vital to the national defense or other interests of the United States. 2. Applications for citizens of the other American republics to receive the instruction contemplated by the said act of June 24, 1938, shall be made formally through diplomatic channels to the Secretary of State by the foreign governments concerned. 3. The Secretary of State shall refer the applications to the proper department or agency of the Government for advice as to what reply should be made to the application. 4. In order to enable the Secretary of State to reply to inquiries received from the governments of the other American republics, the Department of State shall be promptly supplied with copies of the regulations drafted by the other departments and agencies of the Government and of subsequent amendments thereto. 5. Upon receipt of a reply from another department or agency of the Government, as contemplated by paragraph No. 3 of this Order, in which it is recommended that an application be granted, the Secretary of State shall notify the government of the American republic concerned, through diplomatic channels, that permission to receive the instruction requested in the application is granted, provided the applicant complies with the terms of this Order and with the terms of the administrative regulations of the department or agency concerned. 6. In granting permission to citizens of the other American republics to receive instruction under the provisions of the said act of June 24, 1938, the Secretary of State shall limit the number of such permissions so that not more than one citizen of any one American republic shall receive instruction at the same time in the United States Military Academy and not more than one in the United States Naval Academy; and he shall not grant any such permission to a citizen of any of the American republics to receive instruction in any institution or school if the issuance of such permission will curtail the admission of citizens of the United States eligible to receive instruction therein. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, August 29, 1938.
Executive Order 7964—Instruction of Citizens of the American Republics at Educational Institutions and Schools Maintained and Administered by the Government of the United States
Executive Brief • At a Glance
Subject to the provisions and requirements of this Order, appropriate administrative regulations shall be drafted by each executive department or agency of the Government which maintains and administers educational institutions and schools coming within the scope of the legislation.
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 29, 1938, this order concerns Instruction of Citizens of the American Republics at Educational Institutions and Schools Maintained and Administered by the Government of the United States. Subject to the provisions and requirements of this Order, appropriate administrative regulations shall be drafted by each executive department or agency of the Government which maintains and administers educational institutions and schools coming within the scope of the legislation.
Key Directives & Operative Actions
Subject to the provisions and requirements of this Order, appropriate administrative regulations shall be drafted by each executive department or agency of the Government which maintains and administers educational institutions and schools coming within the scope of the legislation.
Such regulations shall carefully observe the limitations imposed by the said act of June 24, 1938, and shall in each case include: (a) A list of the institutions and courses in the department or agency concerned in which instruction is available under the terms of the legislation.
Applications for citizens of the other American republics to receive the instruction contemplated by the said act of June 24, 1938, shall be made formally through diplomatic channels to the Secretary of State by the foreign governments concerned. 3.
The Secretary of State shall refer the applications to the proper department or agency of the Government for advice as to what reply should be made to the application. 4.
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
"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
Administers commerce or fiscal programs requiring ongoing statutory delegation and legislative oversight.
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
Applies regulatory or compliance standards to private contractors or commercial entities.
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 within Justice Jackson’s Zone of Twilight, resting upon concurrent presidential authority or congressional silence.
Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 7964 (Aug. 29, 1938), https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-7964-instruction-citizens-the-american-republics-educational-institutions.