Executive Order 9806—Establishing the President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 1753 of Revised Statutes of the United States, section 214 of the act of May 3, 1945 (Public Law 49, 79th Congress) , and as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows: 1. There is hereby created an interagency group to be known as the President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty, which will have the functions and responsibilities defined in this order. 2. The Commission is authorized on behalf of the President to inquire into the standards, procedures, and organizational provisions for (a) the investigation of persons who are employed bye the United Stated Government or are applicants for such employment, and (b) the removal or disqualification from employment of any disloyal or subversive person. During the progress of its study the Commission shall give consideration to the findings and recommendations of the Subcommittee of the House of Representatives contained in the Subcommittee's Report rendered on July 20, 1946 (Cong. Rec. July 20 1946, p. 9728). 3. On or before February 1, 1947, the Commission shall make a report of its studies to the President in writing, together with such recommendations as it may deem appropriate, including recommendations, in particular, as to the following: a. Whether existing security procedures in the executive branch of the Government furnish adequate protection against the employment or continuance in employment of disloyal or subversive persons and what agency or agencies should be charged with prescribing and supervising security procedures. b. Whether the responsibility for acting upon investigative reports dealing with disloyal or subversive persons should be left to the respective departments and agencies employing such persons or whether such responsibility should be centralized in a single agency. c. What procedure should be established for notifying allegedly disloyal or subversive employees of applicants for employment of the charges made against them and what procedures should be established to guarantee a fair hearing on such charges. d. What standards are desirable for judging the loyalty of employees of the Government and applicants for such employment. e. Whether further legislation is necessary for the adequate protection of the Government against the employment or continuance in employment of disloyal or subversive persons. Upon the rendition of its report to the President, the existence and functions of the Commission shall terminate unless otherwise authorized by further Executive order. 4. The Civil Service Commission and all other departments and agencies of the executive branch of the Government are hereby authorized and directed to cooperate with the Commission in its work and to furnish the Commission such information or the service of such persons as the Commission may require in the performance of its duties. Persons employed in and of the executive departments and agencies who are requested by the Commission to testify before it shall do so and shall present to the Commission such documents and other information as the Commission shall require. 5. The President's Temporary Commission on Employee Loyalty shall be composed of one representative of each of the following agencies, namely, the Department of Justice, the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, the Department of War, the Department of the Navy, to be designated by the respective heads thereof, and the Civil Service Commission to be designated by the Commission. The representative of the Department of Justice shall serve as Chairman of the Commission. The members of the Commission shall serve without compensation in such capacity. HARRY S. TRUMAN THE WHITE HOUSE, November 25, 1946.