Executive Order 8502 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 8502—Regulations Governing the Grades and Ratings of Enlisted Men of the Regular Army for the Fiscal Year 1941

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Saturday, August 3, 1940

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1 min read (231 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 1940-08-03, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Regulations Governing the Grades and Ratings of Enlisted Men of the Regular Army for the Fiscal Year 1941." 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

▪ 1554, it is ordered that during the fiscal year 1941 the grades and ratings of the enlisted men of the Regular Army shall be as set forth herein, and that the number of enlisted men in the several grades and ratings shall not exceed the number specified herein.

▪ Specialists ratings and the maximum number of enlisted men therein shall be as follows: Number 1st Class ------------------------------ 2,663 2nd Class ------------------------------ 5,323 3rd Class ----------------------------- 15,092 4th Class ----------------------------- 29,264 5th Class ----------------------------- 24,270 6th Class ----------------------------- 50,069 FRANKLIN D.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments

Total Words

231

1,591 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. 8502, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Aug 3, 1940). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8502-regulations-governing-the-grades-and-ratings-enlisted-men-the-regular.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

By virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me by the act of June 20, 1936, 49 Stat. 1554, it is ordered that during the fiscal year 1941 the grades and ratings of the enlisted men of the Regular Army shall be as set forth herein, and that the number of enlisted men in the several grades and ratings shall not exceed the number specified herein. 1. The several grades and the maximum number of enlisted men therein shall be as follows: Number 1st Grade—Master Sergeants ------------ 3,336 2nd Grade—1st Sergeants and Technical Sergeants ------------------ 8,373 3rd Grade—Staff Sergeants ------------- 17,334 4th Grade—Sergeants ----------------- 32,861 5th Grade—Corporals ----------------- 35,410 6th Grade—Privates, lst Class ---------- 114,590 7th Grade—Privates, the number of whom will be such that when added to the number of enlisted men above Grade Seven and to the authorized number of flying cadets the total will not exceed the enlisted pay strength of the Army appropriated for by the "Military Appropriation Act, 1941", approved June 13, 1940, and the "First Supplemental National Defense Appropriation Act", approved June 26, 1940. 2. Specialists ratings and the maximum number of enlisted men therein shall be as follows: Number 1st Class ------------------------------ 2,663 2nd Class ------------------------------ 5,323 3rd Class ----------------------------- 15,092 4th Class ----------------------------- 29,264 5th Class ----------------------------- 24,270 6th Class ----------------------------- 50,069 FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT The White House, August 3, 1940.