Presidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADs) are draft classified executive orders, proclamations, and messages to Congress that are prepared for the President of the United States to exercise or expand powers in anticipation of a range of emergency hypothetical worst-case scenarios, so that they are ready to sign and put into effect the moment one of those scenarios comes to pass. They are defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the "Final drafts of Presidential messages, proposed legislation proclamations, and other formal documents, including DOJ-issued cover sheets addressed to the President, to be issued in event of a Presidentially-declared national emergency."
PEADs originated in the Eisenhower Administration in response to fears of the Cold War and nuclear war, and are part of what is often referred to as Continuity of Government (COG) planning. Signed orders for a broad scope of issues were drafted and signed by the president intended to be used to prevent disruption of government functions. Only a very limited number of PEADs are public knowledge, and only through secondary declassified documents that mention them. Of these the trend of the orders is toward a severe reduction of liberty and civil rights for American citizens. No PEADs have been declassified, however they are referenced in FBI memoranda that were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, agency manuals, and court records.
The orders are classified, and none have ever been publicly released or leaked. They are therefore obscure and generally unknown to average Americans, scholars and even Executive branch officials, and are sometimes referred to as "secret powers" of the President. Some have also called into question their constitutional viability.
Over time, the circumstances under which PEADs could be executed expanded to include events beyond nuclear warfare. One example is a 1968 FBI Memorandum from the Johnson Administration. The memorandum recommended a "Priority Apprehension Program based on dangerousness[sic] of individuals on SI" referring to the government "Security Index," and noting that the government had "recently amended [its] definition of a dangerous person in new Presidential Emergency Action Document 6, broadening it to include terrorists or persons who would interfere with Government operation and defense effort [sic]"." This Security Index contained the names of individuals whom the government considered threats and should be immediately apprehended and detained to prevent sabotage, espionage, and insurrection and contained 10,000 names. Former Carter Administration official referred to this as "The Enemies Briefcase."
Presidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADs) are draft classified executive orders, proclamations, and messages to Congress that are prepared for the President of the United States to exercise or expand powers in anticipation of a range of emergency hypothetical worst-case scenarios, so that they are ready to sign and put into effect the moment one of those scenarios comes to pass. They are defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the "Final drafts of Presidential messages, proposed legislation proclamations, and other formal documents, including DOJ-issued cover sheets addressed to the President, to be issued in event of a Presidentially-declared national emergency."
PEADs originated in the Eisenhower Administration in response to fears of the Cold War and nuclear war, and are part of what is often referred to as Continuity of Government (COG) planning. Signed orders for a broad scope of issues were drafted and signed by the president intended to be used to prevent disruption of government functions. Only a very limited number of PEADs are public knowledge, and only through secondary declassified documents that mention them. Of these the trend of the orders is toward a severe reduction of liberty and civil rights for American citizens. No PEADs have been declassified, however they are referenced in FBI memoranda that were obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, agency manuals, and court records.
The orders are classified, and none have ever been publicly released or leaked. They are therefore obscure and generally unknown to average Americans, scholars and even Executive branch officials, and are sometimes referred to as "secret powers" of the President. Some have also called into question their constitutional viability.
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Over time, the circumstances under which PEADs could be executed expanded to include events beyond nuclear warfare. One example is a 1968 FBI Memorandum from the Johnson Administration. The memorandum recommended a "Priority Apprehension Program based on dangerousness[sic] of individuals on SI" referring to the government "Security Index," and noting that the government had "recently amended [its] definition of a dangerous person in new Presidential Emergency Action Document 6, broadening it to include terrorists or persons who would interfere with Government operation and defense effort [sic]"." This Security Index contained the names of individuals whom the government considered threats and should be immediately apprehended and detained to prevent sabotage, espionage, and insurrection and contained 10,000 names. Former Carter Administration official referred to this as "The Enemies Briefcase."