Executive Order 6651—Establishing the Office of Special Adviser on Foreign Trade

Whereas the guidance of public policy in relation to international commerce has tended, in recent years, to encounter increasingly complex problems, which can be solved only upon the basis of the comprehensive analysis and coordinated utilization of those of our resources which relate to trade with other countries; and

Whereas this analysis and utilization require that the powers and duties assigned to various executive establishments and agencies for the purpose of promoting, reinforcing, or protecting the foreign trade of the United States be coordinated and the work of such establishments and agencies be made as effective as possible;

Now, Therefore, by virtue of and pursuant to the authority vested in me under title I of the National Industrial Recovery Act approved June 16, 1933 (ch. 90, 48 Stat. 195), and otherwise, and in order to aid in effectuating the policy of said title and the fulfillment of the purposes hereinbefore set forth—

(1) There is hereby established the Office of Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Trade, the head of which shall be the Special Adviser, who shall be appointed by the President and shall receive a salary to be fixed by me. The Special Adviser may appoint, without regard to the Civil Service laws or the Classification Act of 1923, as amended, fix the compensation and prescribe the duties and authority of such officials and employees, and make such expenditures (including expenditures for personal services, and rent at the seat of the Government and elsewhere, for law books, books of reference, newspapers and periodicals, and for paper, printing, and binding) as may be necessary to carry into effect the provisions of this order.

(2) (a) The Special Adviser, in order to effectuate the general purposes of this order, and to keep me informed with respect to our foreign trade, is authorized to obtain, review, and coordinate the information, statistics, and data with reference to the foreign trade of the United States collected or prepared by any department or other establishment or agency of the Federal Government (hereinafter referred to as "department or other agency"), or elsewhere.

(b) In connection with foreign trade activities, the Special Adviser is authorized to carry on negotiations with respect to specific trade transactions with any individual, corporation, association, group, or business agency interested in obtaining assistance from the Federal Government through (1) financing transactions, (2) barter transactions, or (3) other forms of Governmental participation authorized by law.

(c) The Special Advisor shall bring such proposals with respect to these transactions as seem meritorious to him before the departments or other agencies affected by or having an interest therein for appropriate action, and shall keep me advised concerning the action taken or proposed by such department or other agency.

(d) The authorization herein set forth shall not exclude any department or other agency from carrying on such activities as are now authorized by law. For example, the State Department shall function in its usual way to the extent that any question of foreign policy is involved.

(3) (a) The departments and other agencies, including the export-import banks, are hereby requested to make available to the Special Adviser (and whenever practicable in the form requested by him) their information, statistics, and data concerning foreign trade, to furnish (with the consent of the head of the department or other agency) their services and facilities and to cooperate with him to as full an extent as may be practicable in order to effectuate the purposes of this order. The Special Advisor is authorized to reimburse any department or other agency for exceptional or unusual assistance from such funds as may be allocated to the Office of the Special Adviser.

(b) The contact of the Special Adviser with each department or agency shall be through the head of such department or agency or through such channel as the head of such department or agency shall designate.

(4) For the purposes of this order the sum of $100,000 is hereby allocated to the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Trade from the appropriation of $3,300,000,000 authorized by section 220 of the National Industrial Recovery Act and made by the Fourth Deficiency Act, fiscal year 1933, approved June 16, 1933 (ch. 100, 48 Stat. 274).

(5) (a) The temporary committee created by me as set forth in the public statement of December 11, "to recommend permanent machinery to coordinate all Government relations to American foreign trade" is supplanted by the present arrangement. The Special Adviser, with the approval of the President, is hereby authorized to create such committees as he may deem appropriate or necessary to assist and promote in carrying out the purposes of this order.

(6) The formulation of commercial policies with respect to foreign trade and the effecting of general foreign-trade agreements will remain in the department or other agency now charged by law with responsibility therefor.

FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT

The White House,
March 23, 1934.