DRAFT BILL 'TO PROVIDE FOR THE CONFERRING OF AN AWARD TO BE KNOWN AS THE UNITED STATES MEDAL OF MERIT'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP58-00597A000100040062-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 13, 2004
• Sequence Number: 62
• Publication Date: February 18, 1955
• Content Type: MF

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18 February 1955
MEMORANLUM FOR: Mr. Pforzheimer
SUBJECT:: Draft Bill "To Provide for the Conferring of an Award
to be Known as the United States Medal of Merit"
1. In reply to your note of 14 February the following observations
are offered in respect to the proposed legislation to create a United
States )L-dal of Merit.
a. The creation of as additional United States decoration
to be conferred by the President detracts in some measure from
other United States awards of a similar level. While it is not
possible to gauge the diminution, certainly the Congressional
Medal of Honor and the National Security Medal are affected to a
greater or lesser degree.
b. While the proposed legislation states that the purpose of
the award is to "foster those cultural qualities and innovations
essential to the development of a high civilization and conducive
to the maintenance of peace, which are of paramount importance to
humanity at all times," the legislation fails to disclose a need
for a decoration to achieve this purpose. In other words, an award
is being proposed but no mention is made of dissatisfactions or
disappointment arising from the lack of such an award. In many
of the fields referred to, recognition is provided by foundations,
professional organizations, unions and other associations; it may
well be that these forms of recognition are sufficient.
c. The creation of an award to recognize accomplishments in
the fields referred to would contribute to the already confused
state of non-military Federally sponsored awards. At the present
time the military services possess a reasonably consistent system
of awards under the general supervision of the Department of Defense.
Unfortunately no such parallel exists in the civilian agencies of
government; hence each agency creates awards for its own purposes
without regard to, or comparison with, the awards that are employed
by other agencies. It would appear more logical to review non-
military United States awards for the purpose of creating a recog-
nizable system rather than to add another award which does not
appear to fit into any system.
d. In the event that the proposed award is approved by Congress,
it would appear unnecessary to pay members of the board for their
services. In all libelihood such a board, if created, would include
one or more senior government officials already receiving salaries
from the government. It is noted that members of the Commission of
Fine Arts, the American Battle tents Commission and various
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loyalty boards serve without compensation, an example which
could be followed in the present case.
e. An Act of Congress passed on 20 July 1942 established
the Medal for Merit for award by the President upon recommendation
of a board constituted for that purpose. The Medal for Merit was
for award to civilians for exceptionally meritorious conduct in
performance of outstanding services in furtherance of the wen
efforts of the United States and the United Nations. The Medal
for Merit authority still exists although no recommendations have
been made to the President since 30 June 1947. Since the name
selected for the proposed decoration practically duplicates the
name of an already existing United States decoration, a new title
will be required should this , proposal be adropted.
Chairman, CIA Honor Awards Board
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