Executive Order 9176 Constitutional Neutral (+0.02)
Executive Order 9176—Transferring the Administration of the Act of June 8, 1938, as Amended, Requiring the Registration of Agents of Foreign Principals, From the Secretary of State to the Attorney General
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 1942-05-29, establishes federal administrative policy concerning "Transferring the Administration of the Act of June 8, 1938, as Amended, Requiring the Registration of Agents of Foreign Principals, From the Secretary of State to the Attorney General." 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
▪631), as amended by the act of August 7, 1939 (53 Stat.
▪1244), requiring the registration of agents of foreign principals, are hereby transferred to and vested in the Attorney General.
▪All property, books and records heretofore maintained by the Secretary of State with respect to his administration of said act of June 8, 1938, as amended, are hereby transferred to and vested in the Attorney General.
▪The Attorney General shall furnish to the Secretary of State for such comment, if any, as the Secretary of State may desire to make from the point of view of the foreign relations of the United States, one copy of each registration statement that is thereafter filed with the Attorney General in accordance with the provisions of this Executive order.
Constitutional & Societal Entities Impacted
🏛️ Merchants, Importers & Commercial Enterprises
🏛️ Sovereign State Governments & Localities
🏛️ Private Citizens & Property Owners
🏛️ Foreign Nations & International Entities
Total Words
257
1,468 characters
Estimated Read Time
1 min
@ 200 words / min
Flesch-Kincaid
12.8
Post-Grad reading level
Constitutional Polarity
+0.02
Framers' Alignment index
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Scholarly & Legal Citations
Exec. Order No. 9176, Franklin D. Roosevelt (May 29, 1942). Available at https://executiveordersarchive.org/orders/app-executive-order-9176-transferring-the-administration-the-act-june-8-1938-amended-requiring.
Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
By virtue of the authority vested in me by Title I of the First War Powers Act, 1941, approved December 18, 1941 (Public Law No. 354, 77th Congress), and as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1. All functions, powers and duties of the Secretary of State under the act of June 8, 1938 (52 Stat. 631), as amended by the act of August 7, 1939 (53 Stat. 1244), requiring the registration of agents of foreign principals, are hereby transferred to and vested in the Attorney General. 2. All property, books and records heretofore maintained by the Secretary of State with respect to his administration of said act of June 8, 1938, as amended, are hereby transferred to and vested in the Attorney General. 3. The Attorney General shall furnish to the Secretary of State for such comment, if any, as the Secretary of State may desire to make from the point of view of the foreign relations of the United States, one copy of each registration statement that is thereafter filed with the Attorney General in accordance with the provisions of this Executive order. 4. All rules, regulations and forms which have been issued by the Secretary of State pursuant to the provisions of said act of June 8, 1938, as amended, and which are in effect shall continue in effect until modified, superseded, revoked or repealed by the Attorney General. 5. This order shall become effective as of June 1, 1942. FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT The White House, May 29, 1942.
