THE Bureau of Customs is an old and respected arm of the Federal Government. Created in 1789 and consisting of many districts established by Congress as new territories opened and trade patterns evolved, its growth took place without particular relation to the overall organization. Its basic structure has been little changed since its founding date. Today the current and growing emphasis on international trade and travel demands a more effective administration of the customs laws to serve that essential segment of our economy engaged in foreign trade and travel.
It is my opinion that the betterments which can flow from Reorganization Plan 1 of 1965 will benefit our economy and contribute toward a smoother, more economical functioning of an important Federal agency, all in line with the aims I expressed in my State of the Union Message to the Congress on January 4.
Note: The statement was part of a White House release announcing the President's intention to submit to Congress a plan of reorganization for the Bureau of Customs--Reorganization Plan 1 of 1965. The proposed plan, the release stated, "flows" from a 642-page report, entitled "An Evaluation of: Mission, Organization, Management" and based on a a-year study by a Treasury Department survey group.
Under the proposed reorganization, the release explained, the Customs Bureau would be centralized under 6 regional offices with about 25 subordinate district offices instead of operating with 113 independent offices reporting directly to headquarters.
The proposed plan provided for abolition of all offices of collector of customs, comptroller of customs, surveyor of customs, and appraiser of merchandise to which appointments, 153 positions, were required to be made by the President by and with the consent of the Senate. All Bureau officials and employees, the release added, would be appointed under civil service laws.
Total savings expected under the plan, the release added, would total more than $11 million, which would be offset by $2 million of additional costs. Most of the added costs would occur through the addition of new positions designed to effect desirable changes in management at headquarters and in the consolidated regional offices, and to modernize procedures and practices.
For the President's message to Congress transmitting Reorganization Plan 1 of 1965, see Item 125.
Lyndon B. Johnson, Statement by the President on Proposed Reorganization of the Bureau of Customs. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/242175