Executive Order 8872 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)

Executive Order 8872—Withdrawing Public Lands for Use of the War Department as an Aerial Gunnery and Bombing Range

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Wednesday, August 27, 1941

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1 min read (220 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 1941-08-27, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Withdrawing Public Lands for Use of the War Department as an Aerial Gunnery and Bombing Range." 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

▪ ALASKA By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered that, subject to valid existing rights, the public lands in the following-described area, with the exception of fishing villages and the area withdrawn by Executive Order No.

▪ 2141 of February 27, 1915, be, and they are hereby, withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public-land laws, including the mining laws, and reserved for the use of the War Department as an aerial gunnery and bombing range: Beginning at corner No.

Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted

🏛️ Executive Departments & Federal Civil Servants 🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners

Total Words

220

1,255 characters

Estimated Read Time

1 min

@ 200 words / min

Flesch-Kincaid

10.1

Post-Grad reading level

Constitutional Polarity

+0.02

Framers' Alignment index

📜

Scholarly & Legal Citations

Exec. Order No. 8872, Franklin D. Roosevelt (Aug 27, 1941). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-8872-withdrawing-public-lands-for-use-the-war-department-aerial-gunnery.

Official Document Text

Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)

Original Source →

ALASKA By virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is ordered that, subject to valid existing rights, the public lands in the following-described area, with the exception of fishing villages and the area withdrawn by Executive Order No. 2141 of February 27, 1915, be, and they are hereby, withdrawn from all forms of appropriation under the public-land laws, including the mining laws, and reserved for the use of the War Department as an aerial gunnery and bombing range: Beginning at corner No. 1, not monumented, at the line of mean high tide on the most easterly part of Harriet Point on the west shore of Cook Inlet, approximate latitude 60°23'30" N., longitude 152°14'30" W. Prom said initial point, by metes and bounds, N. 70° W., 18 miles, to highest point on Mt. Redoubt; N. 16° E., 58 miles, to highest point on Mt. Spurr; N. 68° E., 25 miles, to foot of Triumvirate Glacier; S. 55° E., 27 miles, to west shore of Cook Inlet, at a point 1½ miles east of the light at the mouth of Beluga River; Southwesterly, along line of mean high tide to the point of beginning. The area described, including both public and non-public lands, aggregates 1,210,000 acres. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, August 27, 1941.