Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958

by Dwight D. Eisenhower

REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 1 OF 1958

Eff. July 1, 1958, 23 F.R. 4991, 72 Stat. 1799, as amended Pub. L. 85–763, Aug. 26, 1958, 72 Stat. 861; Pub. L. 87–296, §1, Sept. 22, 1961, 75 Stat. 630; Pub. L. 87–367, title I, §103(10), Oct. 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 788; Pub. L. 88–426, title III, §305(11), Aug. 14, 1964, 78 Stat. 423; Pub. L. 90–608, ch. IV, §402, Oct. 21, 1968, 82 Stat. 1194; Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1973, §3(a), eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 9579, 87 Stat. 1089

Prepared by the President and transmitted to the Senate and the House of Representatives in Congress assembled, April 24, 1958, pursuant to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949, approved June 20, 1949, as amended [see 5 U.S.C. 901 et seq.].

CIVILIAN MOBILIZATION

Section 1. Transfer of Functions to the President (a) There are hereby transferred to the President of the United States all functions vested by law (including reorganization plan) in the following: The Office of Defense Mobilization, the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization, the Federal Civil Defense Administration, and the Federal Civil Defense Administrator.

(b) The President may from time to time delegate any of the functions transferred to him by subsection (a) of this section to any officer, agency, or employee of the executive branch of the Government, and may authorize such officer, agency, or employee to redelegate any of such functions delegated to him.

Sec. 2. Office of Emergency Preparedness [The Office of Emergency Preparedness including the offices of Director and Deputy Director, and all offices of Assistant Director, were abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1973, §3(a)(1), eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 9579, 87 Stat. 1089.]

Sec. 3. Regional Directors [All offices of Regional Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness were abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1973, §3(a)(1), eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 9579, 87 Stat. 1089.]

Sec. 4. Membership on National Security Council [The functions of the Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness as a member of the National Security Council were abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1973, §3(a)(2), eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 9579, 87 Stat. 1089.]

Sec. 5. Civil Defense Advisory Council [The Civil Defense Advisory Council, together with its functions, was abolished by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1973, §3(a)(3), eff. July 1, 1973, 38 F.R. 9579, 87 Stat. 1089.]

Sec. 6. Abolitions The offices of Federal Civil Defense Administrator and Deputy Administrator provided for in section 101 of the Federal Civil Defense Act (50 U.S.C. App. 2271) and the offices of the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization and Deputy Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization provided for in section 1 of Reorganization Plan Numbered 3 of 1953 (67 Stat. 634) are hereby abolished. The Director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness shall make such provisions as may be necessary in order to wind up any outstanding affairs of the offices abolished by this section which are not otherwise provided for in this reorganization plan. [As amended Pub. L. 90–608, ch. IV, §402, Oct. 21, 1968, 82 Stat. 1194 .]

Sec. 7. Records, Property, Personal, and Funds (a) The records, property, personnel, and unexpended balances, available or to be made available, or appropriations, allocations, and other funds of the Office of Defense Mobilization and of the Federal Civil Defense Administration shall, upon the taking effect of the provisions of this reorganization plan, become records, property, personnel, and unexpended balances of the Office of Emergency Preparedness.

(b) Records, property, personnel, and unexpended balances, available or to be made available, of appropriations, allocations, and other funds of any agency (including the Office of Emergency Preparedness), relating to functions vested in or delegated or assigned to the Office of Defense Mobilization or the Federal Civil Defense Administration immediately prior to the taking effect of the provisions of this reorganization plan, may be transferred from time to time to any other agency of the Government by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget under authority of this subsection for use, subject to the provisions of the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended, in connection with any of the said functions authorized at time of transfer under this subsection to be performed by the transferee agency.

(c) Such further measures and dispositions as the Director of the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to be necessary in connection with the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section shall be carried out in such manner as he shall direct and by such agencies as he shall designate. [As amended Pub. L. 90–608, ch. IV, §402, Oct. 21, 1968, 82 Stat. 1194 .]

Sec. 8. Interim Provisions The President may authorize any person who immediately prior to the effective date of this reorganization plan holds an office abolished by section 6 hereof to hold any office established by section 2; of this reorganization plan until the latter office is filled pursuant to the said section 2 or by recess appointment, as the case may be, but in no event for any period extending more than 120 days after the said effective date.

Sec. 9. Effective Date The provisions of this reorganization plan shall take effect at the time determined under the provisions of section 6(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended, or on July 1, 1958, whichever is later.

Message of the President to the Congress of the United States:

I transmit herewith Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958, prepared in accordance with the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended. The reorganization plan provides new arrangements for the conduct of Federal defense mobilization and civil defense functions.

In formulating Reorganization Plan No. 1, I have had the benefit of several studies made by the executive branch as well as those conducted by the Congress. The reorganization plan will overcome the major difficulties revealed by those studies and mentioned in my 1959 budget message where I made the following statement:

The structure of Federal organization for the planning, coordination, and conduct of our nonmilitary defense programs has been reviewed, and I have concluded that the existing statutes assigning responsibilities for the central coordination and direction of these programs are out of date. The rapid technical advances of military science have led to a serious overlap among agencies carrying on these leadership and planning functions. Because the situation will continue to change and because these functions transcend the responsibility of any single department or agency, I have concluded that they should be vested in no one short of the President. I will make recommendations to the Congress on this subject.

The principal effects of the organization plan are-

First, it transfers to the President the functions vested by law in the Federal Civil Defense Administration and those so vested in the Office of Defense Mobilization. The result is to establish a single pattern with respect to the vesting of defense mobilization and civil defense functions. At the present time disparity exists in that civil defense functions are vested in the President only to a limited degree while a major part of the functions administered by the Office of Defense Mobilization are vested by law in the President and delegated by him to that Office. Under the plan, the broad program responsibilities for coordinating and conducting the interrelated defense mobilization and civil defense functions will be vested in the President for appropriate delegation as the rapidly changing character of the nonmilitary preparedness program warrants.

Second, the reorganization plan consolidates the Office of Defense Mobilization and the Federal Civil Defense Administration to form a new Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization in the Executive Office of the President. I have concluded that, in many instances, the interests and activities of the Office of Defense Mobilization and the Federal Civil Defense Administration overlap to such a degree that it is not possible to work out a satisfactory division of those activities and interests between the two agencies. I have also concluded that a single civilian mobilization agency of appropriate stature and authority is needed and that such an agency will ensue from the consolidation and from the granting of suitable authority to that agency for directing and coordinating the preparedness activities of the Federal departments and agencies and for providing unified guidance and assistance to the State and local governments.

Third, the reorganization plan transfers the membership of the Director of the Office of Defense Mobilization on the National Security Council to the Director of the Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization and also transfers the Civil Defense Advisory Council to the Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization.

Initially, the Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization will perform the civil defense and defense mobilization functions now performed by the Office of Defense Mobilization and the Federal Civil Defense Administration. One of its first tasks will be to advise me with respect to the actions to be taken to clarify and expand the roles of the Federal departments and agencies in carrying out nonmilitary defense preparedness functions. After such actions are taken, the direction and coordination of the civil defense and defense mobilization activities assigned to the departments and agencies will comprise a principal remaining responsibility of the Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization.

After investigation, I have found and hereby declare that each reorganization included in Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958 is necessary to accomplish one or more of the purposes set forth in section 2(a) of the Reorganization Act of 1949, as amended.

I have also found and hereby declare that it is necessary to include in the accompanying reorganization plan, by reason of reorganizations made thereby, provisions for the appointment and compensation of new officers specified in sections 2 and 3 of the plan. The rates of compensation fixed for these officers are, respectively those which I have found to prevail in respect of comparable officers in the executive branch of the Government.

The taking effect of the reorganizations included in Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958 will immediately reduce the number of Federal agencies by one and, by providing sounder organizational arrangements for the administration of the affected functions, should promote the increased economy and effectiveness of the Federal expenditures concerned. It is, however, impracticable to itemize at this time the reduction of expenditures which it is probable will be brought about by such taking effect.

I urge that the Congress allow the reorganization plan to become effective.

Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The White House, April 24, 1958.