Official Document Text
Source: The American Presidency Project (UCSB Archive)
WHEREAS the maintenance of world peace and formal commitments entered into by the Government of the United States require that this Government assume a portion of the occupation duty in defeated-enemy territories; and WHEREAS it is the desire of this Government to discharge its occupation responsibilities with the minimum possible numbers of military personnel, thereby hastening demobilization; and WHEREAS the employment of qualified civilian personnel will contribute to this objective of replacing present military occupation forces; and WHEREAS there are former Federal employees now in the armed forces who are about to be discharged therefrom whose services are essential to the effective performance of the occupation mission, and who would accept civilian employment in occupied territories if their reemployment rights in their original Federal positions would not thereby be lost; and WHEREAS there are permanent civil-service employees in the various Federal agencies and departments whose services are essential to the effective performance of the occupation mission, and who would accept employment with the War Department or the Navy Department for the accomplishment of this mission if their employment rights in their original Federal positions would not thereby be lost: NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes of the United States and section 2 of the Civil Service Act (22 Stat. 403), it is hereby ordered as follows: Section 1. Any former employee of a department or agency of the Federal Government who is entitled to the benefits granted by subsection 8 (b) (A) of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 (54 Stat. 890), as amended, and who has entered or enters civilian employment under the Military Government authorities of the United States in any of the occupied territories within 90 days after separation from active military or naval service shall, if qualified to perform the duties of his position, be reemployed in his original civilian position or in a position of like seniority, status, and pay, upon application for such reemployment, made to the original employing department or agency within 90 days after termination of such civilian employment in any of the occupied territories, and upon presentation of a statement by the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, or their authorized representatives, reciting the date of termination of such civilian employment, that his services have been satisfactory, and that termination was not the result of delinquency or misconduct on the part of the employee. Section 2. Any permanent civil-service employee of a department or agency of the Federal Government who possesses special qualifications or experience of particular use to the Military Government authorities of the United States may be transferred, with his consent and that of the department or agency by which he is employed and upon request by the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, to a civilian position under the Military Government authorities of the United States in any of the occupied territories. Upon termination of the service of the employee in the position to which he is transferred under the provisions of this section, he shall, if qualified to perform the duties of his position, be reemployed in his original position or in a position of like seniority, status, and pay, upon application for such reemployment, made to the original employing department or agency within 90 days after termination of such service in any of the occupied territories and upon presentation of a statement by the Secretary of War or the Secretary of the Navy, or their authorized representatives, reciting the date of termination of such civilian service, that his services have been satisfactory, and that such termination was not the result of delinquency or misconduct on the part of the employee. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, April 11, 1946