War Property Administration, Surplus Established in Office of War Mobilization by EO 9425 of Feb. 19, 1944. Terminated on establishment of Surplus Property Board by act of Oct. 3, 1944 (58 Stat. 768). Surplus Property Administration established in Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion by act of Sept. 18, 1945 (59 Stat. 533), and Board abolished. Domestic functions of Administration merged into War Assets Corporation, Reconstruction Finance Corporation, by EO 9689 of Jan. 31, 1946. Foreign functions transferred to State Department by same order. Transfers made permanent by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1947, effective July 1, 1947.
Executive Order 9425 Establishing the Surplus War Property Administration.
February 19, 1944
By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the United States, particularly the First War Powers Act, 1941, as President of the United States and as Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, it is hereby ordered as follows:
War Property Administration (hereinafter referred to as the "Administration"), the powers and functions of which, subject to the general supervision of the Director of War Mobilization, shall be exercised by a Surplus War Property Administrator (hereinafter referred to as the "Administrator"), to be appointed by the Director of War Mobilization.
Department, War Department, Navy Department, Justice Department, Reconstruction Finance Corporation, Smaller War Plants Corporation, United States Maritime Commission, War Production Board, Bureau of the Budget, War Food Administration, Federal Works Agency, Civil Aeronautics Board, and the Foreign Economic Administration, it shall be the function of the Administration, to the full extent that such matters are provided for or permitted by law:
surplus war property in the possession of any Government agency to any other
Government agency whenever in the judgment of the Administration such transfer
is appropriate.
(c) Unless otherwise directed by the Director of War Mobilization, to
assign, so far as it is deemed feasible by the Administration, surplus war
property for disposition, as follows: consumer goods to the Procurement Division
of the Department of the Treasury; capital and producers' goods, including
plants, equipment, materials, scrap, and other industrial property, to a
subsidiary of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, created pursuant to
Section 5d (3) of the Reconstruction Finance Act, as amended; ships and maritime
property to the United States Maritime Commission; and food to the War Food
Administration; provided that surplus war property to be disposed of outside the
United States, unless otherwise directed by the Director of War Mobilization,
shall be assigned, so far as it is deemed feasible by the Administration, to the
Foreign Economic Administration.
(a) "Government agency" means any executive department, independent establishment, agency, commission, board, bureau, division, administration, office, service, independent regulatory commission or board, and any Government- owned or Government-controlled corporation. (b) "Surplus War Property" means any property, real or personal, including but not limited to plants, facilities, equipment, machines, accessories, parts, assemblies, products, commodities, materials, and supplies in the possession of or controlled by any Government agency, whether new or used, in use or in storage, which are in excess of the needs of such agency or are not required for the performance of the duties and functions of such agency and which are determined, subject to the authority of the Office of War Mobilization, to be surplus by such agency.
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