Citizens Committee for Reorganization of the Executive Branch of the Government.

Private organization for promotion of United States governmental administrative reforms.

From the description of Citizens Committee for Reorganization of the Executive Branch of the Government records, 1949-1958. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 754868891

Historical Note

The Citizens Committee for Reorganization of the Executive Branch of the Government (CCREBG) was organized in the state of New York in April 1949. It was established as a temporary, voluntary organization to follow through on the Hoover Report and to promote public and congressional support for the recommendations of the first Hoover Commission.

The Hoover Report was a popular reference made to the extensive studies made by the Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government under the direction of Herbert C. Hoover. The term "Hoover Report" quickly became a synonym for the investigation and constructive recommendations of the Commission. The first Hoover Commission established in 1947 when the U.S. Congress passed a law providing for a Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government. The commission was to aim at limiting expenditures, ensuring efficient performance, eliminating duplication, consolidating services, and defining and limiting executive functions. The second Hoover Commission was appointed under the Eisenhower administration. Its purpose was to contemplate changes in social and economic policy. Its right to issue subpoenas resulted in opposition by many government officials. In Hoover's estimate, Congress accepted about a third of the commission's proposals.

The membership of the CCREBG's Board of Directors consisted of agricultural, business, educational, labor, veterans and women's groups. In recognition of its essentially educational nature, the Bureau of Internal Revenue declared that contributions received by the Committee would be deductible for federal income tax purposes.

The CCREBG had two offices, one in New York City and another in Washington, D.C. A network of regional and state chairmen was created and held together by newsletters and periodic meetings. It provided speakers, film shows, editorials, resolutions, panels and forums, and radio and television announcements. The Committee developed 300 state and local affiliated committees with active outposts in every congressional district. "Little Hoover Commissions" were appointed in 28 state governments, as well as Hawaii and Alaska. The result was and unprecedented upsurge of public interest in government operations.

From the guide to the Citizens Committee for Reorganization of the Executive Branch of the Government records, 1949-1958, (Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace)