Executive Order 10561—Designating Official Personnel Folders in Government Agencies as Records of the Civil Service Commission and Prescribing Regulations Relating to the Establishment, Maintenance, and Transfer Thereof

By virtue of the authority vested in me by section 1753 of the Revised Statutes of the United States (5 U.S.C. 631), and by the Civil Service Act of January 16, 1883 (22 Stat. 403), and as President of the United States, it is ordered as follows:

1. As used herein, the term "agency" shall mean any executive department or independent establishment of the Federal Government, including a corporation wholly owned or controlled by the United States, and, with respect to positions subject to the Civil Service Rules and Regulations, it shall also mean the legislative and judicial branches of the Federal Government and the government of the District of Columbia.

2. Each agency shall establish and maintain a separate Official Personnel Folder for each of its employees who is employed under the Civil Service Rules and Regulations. Each such folder shall be under the jurisdiction and control, and shall be a part of the records, of the United States Civil Service Commission (hereinafter referred to as the Commission). Each such folder shall include the records required to be kept by the Civil Service Commission under subparagraph eighth of paragraph second of section 2 of the Civil Service Act, namely: the notice given in writing by the appointing agency to the Commission of the persons selected for appointment or employment from among those who have been examined, of the place of residence of such persons, of the rejection of any such persons after probation, of transfers, resignations, and removals, and of the dates thereof. Each such folder shall also include such additional 'records as are or may be prescribed by the Commission.

3. Records similar to those specified in paragraph 2 hereof with respect to employees outside the competitive service shall be kept in Official Personnel Folders by all departments and independent establishments of the executive branch of the Government, including corporations wholly owned or controlled by the United States.

4. The Commission is hereby authorized to prescribe regulations, not inconsistent with this order, governing the establishment, content, maintenance, and transfer among agencies, of the Official Personnel Folders relating to any employees to which this order is applicable.

5. To the extent necessary to carry out the provisions of this order, the Commission may delegate to the heads of agencies any authority of the President conferred upon it by this order.

6. Executive Order No. 9784 of September 25, 1946, entitled "Providing for the More Efficient Use and for the Transfer and Other Disposition of Government Records", is hereby revoked; and all provisions of other prior Executive orders which are inconsistent with this order are hereby modified to the extent of such inconsistency.

7. This order shall become effective sixty days after the date hereof, or at such earlier time as the Commission may designate.

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

THE WHITE HOUSE,

September 13, 1954.