The United States Government Manual 2002/2003, Preface, Contents

• Pages: i-vii

The United States Government Manual

2002/2003

Office of the Federal Register

National Archives and Records Administration

Revised June 1, 2002

Raymond A. Mosley,

Director of the Federal Register.

John W. Carlin,

Archivist of the United States.

On the cover: Photograph by Ansel Adams of an unnamed peak in Kings River Canyon, California, circa 1936. From the collection of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Ansel Adams (1902-1984) was one of America's greatest landscape photographers. He is best known for his vistas of the American west and its national parks. His black-and-white photos capture the beauty and vastness of this Nation's wilderness, as well as its stark simplicity. This year marks the 100th anniversary of his birth.

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For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office

Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328

Preface

As the official handbook of the Federal Government, The United States Government Manual provides comprehensive information on the agencies of the legislative, judicial, and executive branches. The Manual also includes information on quasi-official agencies; international organizations in which the United States participates; and boards, commissions, and committees.

A typical agency description includes a list of principal officials, a summary statement of the agency's purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a

``Sources of Information'' section. This last section provides information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and many other areas of public interest.

The 2002/2003 Manual was prepared by the Presidential and Legislative Publications Unit, Office of the Federal Register. Maxine L. Hill was Lead Editor, Karen L. Ashlin was Managing Editor, and Karen A. Thornton was Chief Editor, assisted by Stephen J. Frattini, Loretta C. Jones, and Thomas Wright.

The Federal Register and Its Special Editions

The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register

(see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below.

Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, notices, and documents required to be published by statute.

The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the general and permanent...