Disposition Authorities for Individual Classifications for Headquarters Case Files. Part B: Classification 101. Hatch Act.

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United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Disposition Authorities for Individual Classifications for Headquarters Case Files. Part B: Classification 101. Hatch Act.

Disposition Authorities for Individual Classifications for Headquarters Case Files. Part B: Classification 101. Hatch Act.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/122640894

A provision of the Hatch Act (PL 252 76th Cong.) passed in 1939 made it illegal for any Federal employee or contractore "to have membership in any political party or organization which advocates the overthrow of our consitutional form of government." The FBI received a special appropriation in 1941 of $100,000 to investigate subversive activities in the Federal government. Hoover felt it was one of the most important FBI activities during World War II. Until 1949 the investigations took place only after a request came from the Department of Justice or the employing agency, and when there was some "derogatory" information to indicate that an investigation was necessary. In 1947 President Truman's Executive Order no. 9835 established another Federal employee and applicant loyalty program that far exceeded the World War II effort in scope and number of investigations opened. The FBI records for that program are in classification 121. Though classification 101 became inactive after 1947, and obsolete in 1973, documents on individuals first investigated under the Hatch Act continued to be filed in the classification 101 case files until 1973.

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