Executive Order 8278 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 8278—Withdrawing Public Land and Water for Naval Purposes

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Saturday, October 28, 1939

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1 min read (247 words)

Plain-English Translation & Framers' Constitutional Analysis

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

This executive order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on 1939-10-28, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Withdrawing Public Land and Water for Naval Purposes." It is a direct, concise executive instruction delivering focused administrative or military commands to department leadership.

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

▪ 847, as amended by the act of August 24, 1912, c.

▪ 497, and subject to the conditions therein expressed, it is ordered as follows: SECTION 1.

▪ The public land and water in the following described area in the Territory of Alaska are hereby withdrawn from settlement, location, sale, or entry and reserved for the use of the Department of the Navy for naval purposes: The eastern portion of Kodiak Island, described by metes and bounds as follows: Beginning at a point at latitude 57°47'0" north, longitude 152°26'30" west, thence: W.

▪ The reservation made by section 1 of this order shall remain in force until revoked by the President or by act of Congress.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

247

1,493 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

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Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 8278, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Oct 28, 1939). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8278-withdrawing-public-land-and-water-for-naval-purposes.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

ALASKA By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act of June 25, 1910, c. 421, 36 Stat. 847, as amended by the act of August 24, 1912, c. 369, 37 Stat. 497, and subject to the conditions therein expressed, it is ordered as follows: SECTION 1. The public land and water in the following described area in the Territory of Alaska are hereby withdrawn from settlement, location, sale, or entry and reserved for the use of the Department of the Navy for naval purposes: The eastern portion of Kodiak Island, described by metes and bounds as follows: Beginning at a point at latitude 57°47'0" north, longitude 152°26'30" west, thence: W. to latitude 57°47'0" north, longitude 152°36'0" west S. to latitude 57°44'30" north, longitude 152°38'0" west SW. to latitude 57°42'0" north, longitude 152°38'0" west S. to latitude 57°39'30" north, longitude 152°38'0" west E. to latitude 57°39'30" north, longitude 152°30'0" west NE. to latitude 57°42'0" north, longitude 152°26'0" west N. to latitude 57°44'0" north, longitude 152°26'0" west NW. to latitude 57°47'0" north, longitude 152°26'30" west to the point of beginning. SECTION 2. This order supersedes Executive Order No. 7748 of November 20, 1937, reserving a certain area in Alaska for the use of the Navy Department for naval purposes. SECTION 3. The reservation made by section 1 of this order shall remain in force until revoked by the President or by act of Congress. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, October 28, 1939.