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character, integrity, good deportment, and ability of the applicant, his business experience, and his qualifications as set forth in the application. The originals of all indorsements listed in the application must be filed therewith; copies are not acceptable. Indorsements remain a part of the Government records and may not be withdrawn while a person remains an applicant or while he is an officer or employee of the Department of State.

Applications should also be accompanied by a birth certificate and an unmounted photograph of the applicant, plainly marked with his name and the approximate date when the photograph was taken.

Applicants for appointment in their correspondence with the department should always sign their names as given in their applications, without enlargement or contraction, one given name at least being used.

An applicant should be particularly careful to give his legal residence correctly. The Department of State does not undertake to determine an applicant's legal residence.

Applicants are required to state if they have had, or still have, outstanding financial obligations, and if so the nature and extent thereof.

An application is considered as pending for a period of two years. After such period has elapsed without action having been taken thereon, another application with new indorsements will be necessary to obtain further consideration.

Under the law and regulations, Foreign Service examinations are open to any American citizen between the ages of 21 and 35 years who from the application presented would appear to possess sufficient education for the service, and who may be designated therefor.

There are about 450 posts in the two branches of the Foreign Service, presenting many peculiar climatic, social, and racial conditions. Candidates can not be certified as eligible to serve at a few posts only, but must be chosen from the standpoint of their availability for at least a majority of the posts. Officers must expect assignment to tropical and unhealthful posts as well as to posts where healthful climatic conditions prevail.

Many colleges and universities furnish courses covering the subjects of Foreign Service exami. nations.

The Government does not recommend any particular institutions, does not furnish a course of study in any educational institution, nor suggest a list of books to be studied in preparation for examination.

It is suggested that prospective candidates correspond with respect to courses with any institution they might wish to attend; and that persons teaching the subjects embraced in the examination are prepared to suggest the best textbooks.

The Foreign Service School, established by the Executive order of June 7, 1924, is for the instruction of persons who have passed the prescribed examinations and have been appointed Foreign Service officers, unclassified grade. Candidates preparing for examination are not admitted to the Foreign Service School.

The department does not furnish information regarding vacancies or possible vacancies in the Foreign Service.

The subjects on which candidates for the Foreign Service will be examined are set forth in the Executive order of June 7, 1924.

EXECUTIVE ORDER OF JANUARY 13, 1920

The Executive order of October 13, 1905, as amended on May 17, 1919, is hereby amended to read as follows:

No officer or employee of the Government shall, directly or indirectly, instruct or be concerned in any manner in the instruction of any person or classes of persons, with a view to their special preparation for the examinations of the United States Civil Service Commission. The fact that any officer or employee is found so engaged shall be considered sufficient cause for his removal from the service: Provided, That this order shall not be so construed as to prevent the Federal Board for Vocational Education, the Medical Departments of the Army and Navy, and any other branches of the Government from utilizing the Government facilities and the services of Federal

officers and employees where such facilities or services may be necessary or useful in carrying out the duties imposed upon such departments or branches by law, in the training and testing of disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines.

THE WHITE HOUSE, 13 January, 1920.

WOODROW WILSON

This order has since been amended to extend to Government establishments generally the exemption heretofore made in the case of the Federal Board of Vocational Education.

EXECUTIVE ORDER OF APRIL 4, 1924

The following regulations are hereby prescribed for the guidance of the representatives of the Government of the United States in foreign countries with a view to giving unified direction to their activities in behalf of the promotion and protection of the commercial and other interests of the United States, insuring effective cooperation, and encouraging economy in administration.

Whenever representatives of the Department of State and other departments of the Government of the United States are stationed in the same city in a foreign country they will meet in conference at least fortnightly under such arrangements as may be made by the chief diplomatic officer or, at posts where there is no diplomatic officer, by the ranking consular or other officer.

It shall be the purpose of such conferences to secure a free interchange of all information bearing upon the promotion and protection of American interests.

It shall be the duty of all officers to furnish in the most expeditious manner, without further reference, all economic and trade information requested by the ranking officers in the service of other departments of the Government assigned to the same territory: Provided, That where such compliance would be incompatible with the public interest or where the collection of such information requires research of such exhaustive character that the question of interference with regular duties arises, decision as to compliance shall be referred to the chief diplomatic officer or to his designated representative or, in the absence of such officers, to the supervising consular officer in the said jurisdiction. All failures to provide information requested as herein before set forth shall be reported immediately by cable to the departments having jurisdiction over the officers concerned. With a view to eliminating unnecessary duplication of work, officers in the same jurisdiction shall exchange at least fortnightly a complete inventory of all economic and trade reports in preparation or in contemplation.

Copies of all economic and trade reports prepared by consular or other foreign representatives shall be filed in the appropriate embassy or legation of the United States or, where no such office exists, in the consulate general and shall be available to the ranking foreign representatives of all departments of the Government. Extra copies shall be supplied upon request by the officer making the report.

The customary channel of communication between consular officers and officers of other departments in the foreign field shall be through the supervising consul general but in urgent cases or those involving minor transactions such communications may be made direct: Provided, That copies of all written communications thereof are simultaneously furnished to the consul general for his information. It shall be the duty of supervising consuls general to expedite intercommunication and exchange of material between the consular service and all other foreign representatives of the United States.

Upon the arrival of a representative of any department of the Government of the United States in any foreign territory in which there is an embassy, legation or consulate general, for the purpose of special investigation, he shall at once notify the head of the diplomatic mission of his arrival and the purpose of his visit and it shall be the duty of said officer or of his designated representative, or in the absence of such officer, then the supervising consular officer, to notify, when not incompatible with the public interest, all other representatives of the Government of the United States in that territory of the arrival and the purpose of the visit, and to take such steps as may be appropriate to assist in the accomplishment of the object of the visit without needless duplication of work. In all cases of collaboration, or where material supplied by one officer is utilized by another, full credit therefor shall be given.

THE WHITE HOUSE, April 4, 1924.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

AMENDMENT OF JULY 3, 1926, TO THE ACT OF MAY 24, 1924

[Public-No. 519-69th Congress]

An Act To amend subsections (c) and (o) of section 18 of an Act entitled "An Act for the reorganization and improvement of the Foreign Service, and for other purposes," approved May 24, 1924

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That subsections (c) and (o) of section 18 of the Act approved May 24, 1924, entitled "An Act for the reorganization and improvement of the Foreign Service of the United States, and for other purposes," be, and the same are, amended so as to read as follows:

(c) Five per centum of the basic salary of all Foreign Service officers eligible to retirement shall be contributed to the Foreign Service retirement and disability fund, and the Secretary of the Treasury is directed on and after the date on which this Act takes effect to cause such deductions to be made and the sums transferred on the books of the Treasury Department to the credit of the Foreign Service retirement and disability fund for the payment of annuities, refunds, and allowances: Provided, That for the purpose of computing deductions and calculating annuities all basic salaries in excess of $9,000 per annum shall be treated as $9,000.

(0) Any diplomatic secretary or consular officer who has been or any Foreign Service officer who may hereafter be promoted from the classified service to the grade of ambassador or minister or appointed to a position in the Department of State shall be entitled to all the benefits of the Foreign Service retirement and disability system provided by section 18 of this Act in the same manner and under the same conditions as Foreign Service officers; and there shall likewise be entitled to the benefits of said system in the same manner and under the same conditions as Foreign Service officers any ambassador or minister or any Assistant Secretary of State now in the service, who at the time of original appointment to the grade of ambassador or minister or to the position of Assistant Secretary of State was a diplomatic secretary or consular officer or who at any time prior to such appointment had served for a period of ten years as diplomatic secretary or consular officer or in the Department of State or on special duty under the Department of State or in any or all of these capacities.

SEC. 2. The Chief of the Division of Western European Affairs shall be entitled to participate in and have the benefits of said Foreign Service retirement and disability fund. Approved, July 3, 1926.

INFORMATION CONCERNING FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICERS AND SUBORDINATES

SECRETARIES

It is the duty of diplomatic secretaries to assist the chief of mission in all matters in which their assistance may be required; to supervise the administrative work of the mission; and to cultivate and maintain friendly relations with the officials of the Government in whose capital they reside and with the members of the Diplomatic Corps.

Diplomatic secretaries are charged with the preparation of such correspondence with the Department of State, the Foreign Office of the Government to which they are accredited, and with private organizations and persons as may be intrusted to them by the chief of mission. They are called upon to obtain exact information bearing upon the political, economic, and other questions of interest arising in the country of their assignment, and to prepare for the assistance of the chief of mission and for the information of the Department of State authoritative reports upon such subjects. Secretaries exercise supervision over the administrative functions of the mission which include the custody of the archives, the classification, indexing and filing of correspondence, and the coding and decoding of messages in confidential cipher.

In the absence from his post of the chief of mission the ranking counselor or diplomatic secretary assumes the office of chargé d'affaires ad interim, and in that capacity becomes responsible for the proper conduct of the mission and for the representation of the interests of this Government. Secretaries are expected to study and become reasonably proficient in the language of the country of their assignment. The importance of Spanish may be realized from the fact that it is the language at 19 posts in the Diplomatic Service. Secretaries must study earnestly the political, economic, financial, and other conditions existing in the countries where they are stationed, and be alert at all times to obtain and communicate to their chief information of interest and value.

Unswerving loyalty, faithfulness, discipline, tact, perseverance, and the ability to keep one's own counsel, are of vital importance in the Diplomatic Service. A diplomatic secretary is not merely an individual residing abroad but a representative of his Government and country, and judgment may frequently be passed upon his country largely in accordance with his conduct. The realization of this fact should be enough to inspire such an officer with a proper sense of responsibility and with the firm determination so to conduct himself that the prestige and good name of his country may if possible be enhanced.

Secretaries are expected to take their turn in whatever part of the world their services may be required, and every secretary, whether married or unmarried, must be prepared to go to the post to which he may be assigned.

CONSULAR OFFICERS

Consuls general and consuls are what are technically designated principal consular officers, as distinguished from subordinate officers. They are usually assigned to take responsible charge of consulates general and consulates, while subordinate consular officers are assigned to duty in those offices under the direction of the principal officers.

Practically all of the functions of a consular officer may be classified under three heads(a) administrative duties, (b) protection of the interests of his countrymen, and (c) facilitation of trade. In fulfilling these functions he serves, either directly or indirectly, every departmen' of the Government and virtually every citizen of the United States.

A consular officer's duty under the first heading is to enforce and assist in the enforcement of American laws, in so far as they affect American citizens residing or traveling abroad, or aliens abroad in their relations to the United States, its citizens, and laws. More specifically these duties include: Aiding in the collection of customs revenue by certifying to the correctness of the valuation of merchandise exported to the United States; the visaing, and, when so authorized, the issuing of passports; the settlement, in certain cases, of the personal estates of Americans who may die abroad; services to American vessels and seamen; reporting the sanitary and health conditions of foreign ports; assisting in the enforcement of the immigration and quarantine laws; performing of notarial services; acting as witness to marriages of American citizens abroad, etc., etc.

Under the second heading, consular officers are expected to endeavor to maintain and promote all the rightful interests of American citizens and to protect them in all privileges provided for by treaty or conceded by usage. When disasters occur in his consular district, an officer is required to report to the Department of State, whether Americans or American interests have been affected in any way, and to point out any steps which should be taken by those interested. In certain non-Christian countries, where the judicial procedure is such that foreigners believe justice can not be done them under it, Foreign Service officers are intrusted with judicial powers over American citizens. These powers are usually defined by treaty, but generally include the trial of civil cases to which Americans are parties, and in some instances extend to the trial of criminal cases. The third heading, "Facilitation of trade," includes duties offering unlimited opportunities to a capable, industrious, and interested man. A consular officer is expected to reply fully and in a practical manner to the numerous inquiries which he receives from American business houses in regard to commercial questions and the possibility of marketing their products in his consular district. Another duty of prime importance is the promotion of American commerce by reporting available opportunities for the introduction of our products and aiding in the establishment of relations between American and foreign commercial houses. Consuls are constantly occupied with the preparation of economic and commercial reports and, whenever the opportunity arises, they render assistance to the traveling representatives of American business. In their trade extension work, consular officers cooperate with the Department of Commerce.

Consular officers also cooperate with the Department of Agriculture in the introduction of new and valuable plants; with the Department of Labor in reporting on matters connected with immigration and on labor conditions in their district; with the Department of the Interior by reporting on mining, education, conservation, and reclamation; and in fact with all other Departments of the Government along many important lines.

VICE CONSULS

Vice consuls are consular officers subordinate to consuls general or consuls, and perform consular duties within the limits of their consulates at the same or at different points and places from those at which their principals are located, except that when they take charge of a consulate general or a consulate during the absence of the principal officer they are regarded as substitute officers. They perform such duties of the consular offices to which they may be assigned as are described in the Consular Regulations and Laws of the United States, and which they may be directed to perform by the principal officer under whom they serve.

There are two categories of vice consuls-those of career who have passed the prescribed examinations and are Foreign Service officers; and vice consuls not of career who are appointed from the clerical personnel without examination, by the Secretary of State, when a need for an additional officer exists at a post and a career officer is not available. Such vice consuls, however, are not eligible for appointment as Foreign Service officers until they have passed the usual examination.

During the absence of the principal officer from his post either a career or a noncareer vice consul may be placed in charge and his compensation, if not already equal to one-half the salary of the principal officer, will be increased to that figure while he remains in charge.

CONSULAR AGENTS

A consular agent is an officer subordinate to a consul general or a consul, exercising similar, but limited, powers at a place different from that at which the consulate general or consulate is situated.* He acts entirely under the direction of his principal, and is usually a local business man. His compensation is derived from fees collected for official services, one-half of which he may retain, not to exceed in any case $1,000 a year. He pays the rent of his office and may engage in private business. The Government furnishes him with forms, record books, stationery, and similar articles required for his official use.

LANGUAGE STUDENTS

Selection will be made annually of a few officers from among new appointees in the Foreign Service who have shown especial aptitude for acquiring languages, and who possess the other necessary qualifications, for assignment to study the languages of China, Japan, the Near East, and Eastern Europe, where, in addition to learning and performing the usual diplomatic and consular duties, they will be expected to acquire familiarity with the native language and with the laws, customs, history, and race psychology of the people, with a view to serving for the most part in the area of their assignment. Officers selected for these assignments may receive, in addition to their salaries, an allowance for language tuition and may be provided with quarters. This is one of the most attractive fields of activity in the entire Foreign Service and offers unusual opportunities for rendering distinguished service to the Government and for advancement in the service.

CLERKS

Clerks are employed in the Foreign Service, and receive initial compensation from $1,500 to $2,000 a year. Compensation begins upon the date of departure for the post to which they are assigned. Transportation expenses are paid by the Government, under certain regulations.

Appointees are expected to remain in the service for at least two years, and their transportation expenses in returning to the United States in case of resignation are not payable unless they have served for that period. They are, furthermore, expected to accept such assignments or transfers as the department may deem desirable in the best interests of the service. No appointments can be considered for special countries, although a statement as to preferences of assignment is welcomed by the department.

Such appointments are restricted to those who are unmarried and without dependents, as it is now seldom found practicable to pay compensation in an amount sufficiently large to justify the appointment of married men, nor is the appropriation for transportation sufficient to permit the payment of transportation of wives and families of clerks in the Foreign Service.

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