The United States Government Manual 2009/2010, Preface, Contents

• Pages: i-vii

The United States

Government Manual

2009/2010

Office of the Federal Register

National Archives and Records Administration

Revised September 15, 2009

Raymond A. Mosley,

Director of the Federal Register.

Adrienne C. Thomas,

Acting Archivist of the United States.

On the cover: This edition of The United States Government Manual marks the 75th anniversary of the National Archives and celebrates its important mission to ensure access to the essential documentation of Americans' rights and the actions of their Government. The cover displays an image of the Rotunda and the Declaration Mural, one of the

1936 Faulkner Murals in the Rotunda at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Building in Washington, DC.

The National Archives Rotunda is the permanent home of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States, and the Bill of Rights. These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freeedom, have secured the the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries. In 2003, the National Archives completed a massive restoration effort that included conserving the parchment of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, and re-encasing the documents in state-of-the-art containers.

In 1936, Barry Faulkner created two large-scale murals in the Rotunda depicting fictional scenes of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Each mural is about 13 feet high and 34 feet long. In September 2003, the murals were restored and also recreated as an interactive feature on NARA's Web site: www.archives.gov/nae/visit/rotunda.html. Flanking the permanent display of the Charters and the murals is the exhibit, ``A New World Is At Hand,'' a selection of documents from the National Archives' holdings that chronicle milestones toward the creation of the Charters and their impact on United States and world history. Each year more than a million visitors come to the Rotunda of the National Archives to see the Charters of Freedom and the Faulkner Murals, which adorn its walls.

The Office of the Federal Register, publisher of The United States Government Manual, was established as a division of the National Archives in 1935 and moved into the new National Archives building with the other four divisions of the new agency on November 8, 1935.

We extend special thanks to the Creative and Digital Media Services at the Government Printing Office for its artistic contributions in designing the cover.

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office

Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; DC area

(202) 512-1800

Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001

ISBN 978-0-16-083949-8

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...