1940s THE PRESIDENCY

Every 4 years, thousands of Americans throng the Capitol Plaza in Washington for the impressive ceremonies in which the nation inaugurates its chief executive, the President of the United States. In the presence of government leaders and representatives of foreign countries, the President takes the oath of office prescribed by the Constitution from the Chief Justice of the United States. Mr. President, will you raise your right hand? You, Harry S. Truman, do solemnly swear I, Harry S. Truman, do solemnly swear that you will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. That I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States. And will, to the best of your ability, And will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. Preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So help you, God. So help me, God. In prestige and power, the presidency has developed greatly since George Washington established the original scope of the chief executive's office. Thomas Jefferson, articulate champion of democracy, broadened the powers of the presidency, especially in the field of foreign relations, highlighting his administration with the Louisiana Purchase. Andrew Jackson, rugged soldier and politician of consummate skill, used the presidency to champion the interests of the people against privileged groups. Under James K. Polk, the nation pushed back its frontiers until it spanned the continent and reached from the Canadian border to Mexico. Abraham Lincoln, who preserved the Union through the dark years of the Civil War, demonstrated the effectiveness of government by presidential edict in time of crisis. After the Lincoln era, the importance of the presidency was eclipsed by Congress until Grover Cleveland restored it to power. Theodore Roosevelt, who called the presidency a stewardship, was a staunch advocate of military preparedness and of a foreign policy which he called speaking softly and carrying a big stick. And Woodrow Wilson, who led the nation in its defense of democracy in the First World War, brought great international prestige to the presidency. Under Franklin D. Roosevelt, who received extraordinary powers in the fight against domestic depression and fascist enemies, the presidency became the world's most influential position. The nation's voters four times elected Roosevelt as chief executive, breaking the two-term tradition, but assuring a continuity of leadership they felt necessary to cope with the grave situations here and abroad. To qualify for his office, the President must be at least 35 years of age, a natural-born American citizen, and for 14 years a resident within the United States. The chief executive is charged by the Constitution with the faithful execution of the laws of the land. Few specific powers are delegated to the President by the Constitution, but the implied powers of the chief executive are so great that men of initiative and vigor can build the office into a position of dominance in the government. To administer the executive branch, the President functions through nine major departments and a vast network of specialized agencies. Of prime importance is the Department of State, instrument of the President in the conduct of foreign affairs. The Secretary of State, highest-ranking officer in the President's cabinet, may negotiate treaties with other governments, subject only to ratification by the Senate. The Treasury Department, created by Congress in 1789 to manage the national finances, has grown greatly as America has changed from an agrarian to an industrial nation. Among the wide range of duties of the Secretary of the Treasury, the most familiar to Americans is his assessment and collection of taxes, resulting in more than 46 million taxpayers filing their personal income returns with the Treasury Department each year. Occupying the huge Pentagon building across the Potomac River from Washington, the Department of Defense is the mechanism through which the President carries out his constitutional function of commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The Secretary of Defense, working with high-ranking military leaders, seeks to maintain national security. Under the Department of Defense, the nation's armed forces, the Army, Navy, and Air Force, have been welded into a unified fighting machine to protect the country from attack by any foreign powers. The Department of Justice, chief law enforcement agency of the government, is headed by the Attorney General of the United States. As its counsel, the Attorney General represents the government in all court matters and gives legal advice to the President and executive departments. Operating within the department is the famed Federal Bureau of Investigation. Popularly called G-men, agents of the FBI are responsible for enforcement of more than 300 federal laws and for safeguarding the nation's internal security. In the Post Office Department, one of the world's largest business operations, the Postmaster General supervises the delivery of nearly 40 billion pieces of mail each year. An army of more than 500,000 workers handles the mail in every city, town, and hamlet and along the rural routes throughout the country. In addition to the mail delivery, the Post Office also conducts nearly a billion other transactions involving such special services as money orders and postal savings. The Department of Interior controls the nation's natural resources, planning their conservation and development in the public interest. Among the facilities managed by the department are giant dams which harness water power to generate electricity for consumers in vast areas of the country. The welfare of the American farmer is the concern of the Department of Agriculture. The Secretary of Agriculture plans for the orderly marketing and distribution of farm products, seeking to better the economics of farm operations. To improve crop yields and conserve the soil, the department sends its agents into the fields to give the farmers first-hand information on the latest methods of farming and developments in agricultural research. Through the Department of Commerce, the administration seeks to keep the national economy at a high level. Upon the Secretary of Commerce rests the responsibility for the stimulation of domestic and foreign trade and for the development of the nation's mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishing industries, as well as its transportation facilities. Such specialists of the department as the National Bureau of Standards play an important role in maintaining the quality of American goods, a service that is a boon to the domestic consumer and a prime necessity in competitive world markets. Created in 1913, the Department of Labor, youngest of the executive departments, is dedicated to the well-being of the American worker. Chief concern of the Secretary of Labor is keeping employment in the country at a high level with the best wages and working conditions that can be achieved. But when time-consuming strikes do occur, disrupting the labor peace, the Secretary seeks to bring both sides of the dispute together to mediate the issues causing the conflict. At the opening of each session of Congress, the President, fulfilling an obligation imposed on him by the Constitution, makes a report on the state of the Union. In this accounting of his stewardship, the chief executive may propose legislation needed to attain the objectives of the administration. Breaking away from the routine of official Washington, the President from time to time sets out across the country to report directly to the nation. In face-to-face meetings, the chief executive explains to the people the domestic issues and world problems with which his administration must cope. And he seeks to enlist popular support for the measure by which the government proposes to meet the situation at home and abroad. For the major development, presidency has been an independent agency of the people, and it It to them that the president is answerable.