EO 9397 Numbering System for Federal Accounts Relating to Indiviual Persons

Exec. Order No. 9397
EXECUTIVE ORDER 9397
NUMBERING SYSTEM FOR FEDERAL ACCOUNTS
RELATING TO INDIVIDUAL PERSONS
WHEREAS certain Federal agencies from time to time require in the administration of their activities a system
of numerical identification of accounts of individual persons; and
WHEREAS some seventy million persons have heretofore been assigned account numbers pursuant to the
Social Security Act; and
WHEREAS a large percentage of Federal employees have already been assigned account numbers pursuant to
the Social Security Act; and
WHEREAS it is desirable in the interest of economy and orderly administration that the Federal Government
move towards the use of a single, unduplicated numerical identification system of accounts and avoid the unnecessary
establishment of additional systems:
NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby
ordered as follows:
1. Hereafter any Federal department, establishment, or agency shall, whenever the head thereof finds it
advisable to establish a new system of permanent account numbers pertaining to individual persons, utilize exclusively
the Social Security Act account numbers assigned pursuant to Title 26, section 402.502 of the 1940 Supplement to the
Code of Federal Regulations* and pursuant to paragraph 2 of this order.
2. The Social Security Board shall provide for the assignment of an account number to each person who is
required by any Federal agency to have such a number but who has not previously been assigned such number by the
Board. The Board may accomplish this purpose by (a) assigning such numbers to individual persons, (b) assigning
blocks of numbers to Federal agencies for reassignment to individual persons, or (c) making such other arrangements
for the assignment of numbers as it may deem appropriate.
3. The Social Security Board shall furnish, upon request of any Federal agency utilizing the numerical
identification system of accounts provided for in this order, the account number pertaining to any person with whom
such agency has an account or the name and other identifying data pertaining to any account number of any such
person.
4. The Social Security Board and each Federal agency shall maintain the confidential character of information
relating to individual persons obtained pursuant to the provisions of this order.
5. There shall be transferred to the Social Security Board, from time to time, such amounts as the Director of
the Bureau of the Budget shall determine to be required for reimbursement by any Federal agency for the services
rendered by the Board pursuant to the provisions of this order.
6. This order shall be published in the FEDERAL REGISTER.
FRANKLIN D ROOSEVELT
THE WHITE HOUSE,
November 22, 1943.
*26 CFR, Cum. Supp., 402.502.
End.