Executive Order 8643 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 8643—Amendment of Executive Order No. 7302 of February 21, 1936, Transferring Certain Lands to the Control and Jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy

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Tuesday, January 21, 1941

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2 min read (428 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 1941-01-21, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Amendment of Executive Order No. 7302 of February 21, 1936, Transferring Certain Lands to the Control and Jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy." It outlines operative directives for executive department officers, delegating enforcement responsibilities and establishing official governance guidelines.

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

▪ 7302 of February 21, 1936, transferring certain lands in the Virgin Islands from the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior to the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for use in the establishment, construction, and operation of aviation facilities, as amended by Executive Orders No.

▪ 8201 of July 11, 1939, is hereby further amended by adding thereto the following: "It is further ordered that the tract of land lying between Bourne Field and the Botanical Garden, St.

▪ Thomas, Virgin Islands, more particularly described below by metes and bounds, be, and it is hereby, subject to valid existing rights, transferred from the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior to the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for use in the establishment, construction and operation of aviation facilities at the Naval Air Station, St.

▪ "Provided, that the entrance road from the main road to the Botanical Garden shall be available to the public at all times when the Botanical Garden is open to the public; and provided further, that there shall be free ingress and egress at all times over the said road for the employees of the Botanical Garden." FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, January 21, 1941.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Armed Forces & Military Establishments 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

428

2,464 characters

Estimated Read Time

2 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

8.1

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 8643, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Jan 21, 1941). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8643-amendment-executive-order-no-7302-february-21-1936-transferring.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

VIRGIN ISLANDS By virtue of the authority vested in me by the act of March 3, 1917, ch. 171, 39 Stat. 1132, and the Second Deficiency Act, Fiscal Year 1931, 46 Stat. 1552, 1570, and as President of the United States, Executive Order No. 7302 of February 21, 1936, transferring certain lands in the Virgin Islands from the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior to the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for use in the establishment, construction, and operation of aviation facilities, as amended by Executive Orders No. 7686 of August 5, 1937, No. 7790 of January 12, 1938, No. 8103 of May 2, 1939, and No. 8201 of July 11, 1939, is hereby further amended by adding thereto the following: "It is further ordered that the tract of land lying between Bourne Field and the Botanical Garden, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, more particularly described below by metes and bounds, be, and it is hereby, subject to valid existing rights, transferred from the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Interior to the control and jurisdiction of the Secretary of the Navy for use in the establishment, construction and operation of aviation facilities at the Naval Air Station, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands: "Beginning at Bench Post 781 (also described as Point R), thence north 11°3' west, 142.37 feet, to Bench Post 750; thence north 32°43 ' west, 126.27 feet to Bench Post 751; thence north 12°34' east, 49.1 feet, to Bench Post 752; thence north 54°55' west, 145.9 feet, to Bench Post 753; thence north 40°40' west, 76.17 feet, to Bench Post 754; thence north 35°35' west, 72.95 feet, to Bench Post 755; thence north 65°02' west, 81.5 feet, to Bench Post 756; thence north 56°28 ' west, 104.55 feet, to Bench Post 757; thence north 51°04' west, 40.94 feet, to Bench Post 304; thence south 31°56' east, 422.40 feet to Bench Post 254; thence south 46°08' east, 370.36 feet to point of beginning. The lines from Bench Post 304 to Bench Post 254 and from Bench Post 254 to Bench Post 781 are on the present easterly boundary of the Marine Aviation Field property. "Provided, that the entrance road from the main road to the Botanical Garden shall be available to the public at all times when the Botanical Garden is open to the public; and provided further, that there shall be free ingress and egress at all times over the said road for the employees of the Botanical Garden." FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, January 21, 1941.