the housekeeping law to restrict information. It also digests opinions of Government and nongovernment lawyers on the effect of the amendment and sets forth both the statements of opposition to the legislation and the statements of its proponents.

H. R. 2767 (the consolidated measure reported by Rept. No. 1461) was passed without a dissenting vote by the House of Representatives on April 16, 1958. An identical measure, S. 921, was passed by the Senate on July 31, 1958, and H. R. 2767 was substituted for the Senate bill. H. R. 2767 was signed into law by the President on August 12, 1958, and became Public Law 85-619.

In addition, the Government Information Subcommittee members cooperated with members of other committees of the House to work out legislation which would make specific areas of information available to the public and the Congress. Working cooperatively with the Ways and Means Committee, subcommittee members proposed amendments to H. R. 8381, the major tax revision bill, to make public applications for tax exemption by nonprofit, nonpolitical organizations. Such legislation originally had been agreed to by Treasury Department officials in subcommittee hearings in November 1955. The freedom of information provisions proposed by the subcommittee were included in the tax revision bill which became Public Law 85-866 (Taxes-Technical Amendments Act of 1957).

Freedom of information provisions were proposed by subcommittee members for legislation establishing a new weather-control agency and a new National Aeronautics and Space Agency. Language proposed for the bill amending the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, to provide for research in the field of weather modification, removed restrictions on all information gathered by the agency except information withheld to protect the national security or information required to be withheld under other statutes. The legislation including this freedom-of-information provision became Public Law 85-510. Similar language was proposed by subcommittee members for legislation establishing the new space agency. The report issued in connection with this legislation (H. Rept. 1770, 85th Cong., 2d sess.) clearly sets forth the intent of Congress to make available all possible information to the public. This freedom-of-information provision is included in Public Law 85-568.

Both the space agency and weather modification legislation contain specific language prohibiting restrictions on information to the Congress. Subcommittee members also proposed an amendment to S. 3880, creating a new Federal aviation agency, stating that nothing in the information sections of the legislation "shall authorize the withholding of information by the board or administrator from the duly authorized committees of the Congress." This language is included in Public Law 85-726.

A major development affecting the availability of information from the Federal Government was House approval of H. R. 7390, previously referred to. The report on this bill includes the statement that minutes of meetings of the myriad governmental advisory committees shall be available to the public, subject only to security and other restrictions specifically provided by law.

Another important legislative development in the information field was action by both the House and the Senate, abolishing the Office

of Strategic Information in the Department of Commerce. Funds for this agency, found to be uneconomical and inefficient by this committee, were deleted from the Department of Commerce budget by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Disposal of surplus property

The committee has general legislative jurisdiction over disposals of Federal surplus property under the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as well as proposed amendments to the act itself. Under this statute, Congress has laid down certain general rules and created administrative machinery for disposals of Federal surplus property pursuant to article 4, section 3, of the Constitution, which provides:

The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and regulations respecting the Territory or other property belonging to the United States.

From time to time legislative proposals are made for disposals of individual parcels of property as exceptions to the general laws enacted by the Congress. The committee has had a substantial legislative workload in considering and passing upon many bills for such disposals. In each case the committee has had to consider the particular details and circumstances of the proposed disposal of real property belonging to the United States. The particular circumstances have to be weighed against considerations of national policy and national interest to see whether there is a justification for departure from the established general statutory procedure. During the 85th Congress the committee received 44 bills providing for the disposal of parcels of real property and reported 14 favorably to the House. Of these bills 13 passed the House and 12 became law. Amendments to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949

Public Law 85-486 was introduced in the Senate as S. 2224 and its companion bill in the House as H. R. 8244. The purpose of S. 2224 was to establish on a permanent basis authority for the Administrator of General Services to dispose of surplus property by negotiation in certain defined instances when in the public interest. The bill stated that disposal of surplus property must be accomplished by public advertising, except as otherwise authorized, and sets forth the advertising procedure to be followed. The bill was amended to restrict the authority contained in certain provisions so as to apply only to personal property and to continue the present procedure in reporting to Congress those instances where disposal of surplus property is to be made by negotiation rather than competitive bidding. The bill, as amended, became law on July 2, 1958. This committee's report on the measure is House Report 1763.

S. 2533, as referred to the committee, had as its purpose to amend the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, so as to authorize the Administrator of General Services to increase to 15 years the maximum period of leases entered into by the General Services Administration for the purpose of housing Federal agencies and warehouse storage, and also to authorize the Administrator to use rentals from the subleasing of surplus space to defray costs of necessary services to lessees of the Government and to pay any neces

sary rentals on the primary lease. The bill was reported to the House, House Report 1814, after being amended to reduce from 15 to 10 years the maximum term of leases the Government could enter into and to continue the statutory limitation on the amount of money which could be spent for alterations, improvements, and repairs of such leased space. The bill became Public Law 85-493 on July 2, 1958.

The committee reported S. 2752 to the House on June 18, 1958 (H. Rept. 1920, 85th Cong., 2d sess.). The purpose of this bill was to amend section 207 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, to increase the exemptions from referral to the Attorney General of proposed disposals of surplus property for his advice as to whether or not such disposals would be inconsistent with the antitrust laws. The bill was also designed to effect certain changes in respect to the procedure for such referrals to the Attorney General by the disposal agencies. The bill was amended to accomplish two purposes:

A. To retain as to surplus real property the existing acquisition (plus capital improvements) cost figure of $1 million as the determinant as to whether a proposed disposal is referred to the Attorney General for his advice as to any inconsistency with the antitrust laws.

B. To continue in effect the present required submission to the Attorney General of all proposed disposals of personal property classified as scrap or salvage, although increasing the acquisition cost from $1 million to $3 million which would be applicable to usable personal property under the bill.

The Senate agreed to the House amendments and the measure became Public Law 85-680 on August 19, 1958.

The committee had referred to it S. 3873. The measure was reported, House Report 2508 and became Public Law 85-781 on August 27, 1958. This law amends section 201 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, to authorize the interchange of inspection services between executive agencies and the furnishing of such services by one executive agency to another without reimbursement or transfer of funds. This will eliminate the requirement for monetary reimbursement for inspection services rendered by 1 executive agency to another, and authorizes administrative procedures whereby 1 executive agency may exchange its inspection services with those of other agencies on a reimbursement-in-kind basis, and, under certain conditions, waive reimbursement for such services furnished to another agency.

An amendment to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 so as to extend the authority of the Administrator of General Services to lease out Federal building sites until needed for construction purposes was contained in S. 3142. This bill also amends the act of June 24, 1948 (62 Stat. 644), to eliminate the separate fund established for the maintenance of commercially leased space in the Lafayette Building, Washington, D. C. The bill authorizes the General Services Administration to negotiate leases with former owners or tenants in possession of property immediately after the Government acquires the property. It also amends existing law to permit the General Services Administration to deposit the rent received from such lessees, as well as the rental money received from the lessees of space in the Lafayette Building, Washington, D. C., into a single buildings management fund instead of being held in separate special accounts. Expenditure for demolition and site im

provements would be authorized. This measure was enacted as Public Law 85-886 (H. Rept. 2662, 85th Cong., 2d sess.).

Public Law 85-341, reported by the committee as H. R. 8795 designated the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library at Hyde Park, N. Y., as a "Presidential Archival Depository" and provided that its contents shall be administered under the applicable provisions of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949.

B. REORGANIZATION PLANS

Under rule XI-8 of the House of Representatives, the committee receives all proposed legislation and other matters relating to “reorganizations in the executive branch of the Government." Pursuant to this rule, the committee received and acted upon Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1957 and Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958. As heretofore noted, the President's authority under the Reorganization Act of 1949 to submit plans was extended for 2 years.

Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1957

On April 29, 1957, the President transmitted to the Congres of the United States Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1957. This reorganization plan provided for the final liquidation and abolishment of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.

In accordance with law, liquidation of the assets and the winding up of the affairs of the RFC had been proceeding for several years. Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1954 expedited and simiplified liqudation by transferring certain functions of the Corporation to the ExportImport Bank of Washington, the Small Business Administration and Federal Mortgage Association. Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1957 transferred the then remaining functions to appropriate officers of the Government and abolished the Corporation.

Committee study indicated no serious objection to the plan and no disapproving resolution was introduced. Consequently the plan became effective on June 30, 1957.

Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958

On April 24, 1958, the President transmitted to the Congress Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958. The plan was referred to the committee for consideration. This plan provided for the consolidation of Federal defense mobilization and civil defense functions and new arrangements for their performance.

The President in his message accompanying the plan stated that "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." Some of those studies were made by this committee and some of the reorganizations effected are a result of this committee's recommendations. The new office created by the plan, whose name was later changed to the Office of Civil and Defense Mobilization (Public Law 85-763), had as one of its first tasks to advise the President with respect to the actions to be taken to clarify the roles of 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 new office.

Although no disapproving resolution was introduced, hearings were held on the reorganization plan, and a report was submitted to the Congress—House Report 1874. The plan took effect July 1, 1958.

PART III.-STUDIES AND INVESTIGATIONS

As brought out in the discussion in part I of this report, the Committee on Government Operations is a major instrument of the House of Representatives for studying and investigating the operations of Federal departments and agencies. The committee has organized itself so that the jurisdictions of its subcommittees cover the operations of all major Federal departments and agencies as well as activities which involve the jurisdiction of one or more Federal agencies. In addition, pursuant to its legislative mandate, the committee has made an exhaustive study of Federal-State-local government relationships. In its activities report for the 84th Congress, the committee noted that in the years covered (1955-56) it had made a record number of reports to the House-31 in all. The committee is now proud to note that in the 85th Congress it surpassed the former record by better than 32 percent. In the 1st session of the 85th Congress (1957) the committee made 16 reports and in the 2d session (1958) it made 25 reports for a total of 41 investigative reports to the 85th Congress.

In addition, 11 staff studies were issued in committee print form. These range from compilations of materials gathered by the staff to legal monographs and other technical studies.

Since, under the committee's organization and practice, hearings are held by the subcommittees and proposed reports are presented by them to the full committee for consideration and approval, the discussion of formal reports will be grouped for discussion below under the names of the originating subcommittees in the order in which the subcommittees are listed in the committee calendar.

FORMAL REPORTS

(A) Executive and Legislative Reorganization Subcommittee

1. Report on Review of General Accounting Office Operations in Europe and the Major Programs Covered by the General Accounting Office in the European Area. House Report 1281, January 15, 1958 (17th report of committee, 85th Cong.).

The report covers a review by the subcommittee of General Accounting Office activities in Europe, North Africa, and the Near East. The review was accomplished through staff investigations in 10 European and Asian countries and hearings conducted by the subcommittee in 4 European countries. The report reflects the findings of the subcommittee with respect to the operations of the European Branch, General Accounting Office, including a review of all reports issued by the Branch; a review of selected program operations on which it has either issued reports or is in the process of conducting reviews; and a review of the operations of selected agencies and programs independently of current or prior General Accounting Office reviews. The observations, conclusions, and recommendations of the committee covered 6 broad areas, as follows: