Legislation

President Harry S. Truman (seated, left) signs the 5-cent Air Mail Bill at his desk in the Oval Office. Postmaster General Robert E. Hannegan is seated at right. Standing (l-r): Congressman George D. O'Brien; John Hart of United Airlines; Senator Dennis Chavez; Senator Carl Hayden; Congressman Charles E. McKenzie; Congressman John C. Butler; and Frank J. Delany of the Post Office Department.

President Harry S. Truman (seated, center) signs the 5-cent Air Mail Bill in the Oval Office. Postmaster General Robert E. Hannegan is seated at right. Also pictured (l-r): Congressman George D. O'Brien; John Hart of United Airlines; Senator Dennis Chavez; Senator Carl Hayden; Congressman Charles E. McKenzie; Congressman John C. Butler; Frank J. Delaney of the Post Office Department; C.E. Fleming of Transcontinental and Western Air; Emery F. Johnson of the Air Transport Association; and Charles M. Knoble of Pennsylvania-Central Airlines.

President Harry S. Truman (left) signs a bill reducing air mail postage while Postmaster General Robert E. Hannegan looks on.

President Harry S. Truman seated at his desk in the Oval Office, signing H.R. 7695, an act providing a five-day work week for members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police force, the United States Park Police force, and the White House Police force, as representatives of these agencies look on.

President Harry S. Truman seated at his desk in the Oval Office, signing H.R. 7695, an act providing a five-day work week for members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police force, the United States Park Police force, and the White House Police force, as representatives of these agencies look on.

President Harry S. Truman seated at his desk in the Oval Office, signing H.R. 7695, an act providing a five-day work week for members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police force, the United States Park Police force, and the White House Police force, as representatives of these agencies look on.

President Harry S. Truman seated at his desk in the Oval Office, signing H.R. 7695, an act providing a five-day work week for members of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police force, the United States Park Police force, and the White House Police force, as representatives of these agencies look on.

President Harry S. Truman at his desk in the Oval Office, displaying the National Security Act Amendments of 1949, which he had just signed.

President Harry S. Truman at his desk in the Oval Office, signing H.R. 5632, the National Security Act Amendments of 1949, which converted the National Military Establishment into a new Department of Defense and made other changes in the national security system.

President Harry S. Truman, seated behind his desk, distributes pens he used to sign the National Security Act Amendments bill to assembled on-lookers. From left to right: Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson, unidentified, Congressman Dewey Short, Congressman Carl Vinson, Secretary of the Army Gordon Gray, unidentified, Secretary of the Air Force Stuart Symington, Under Secretary of Defense Stephen Early, and Secretary of the Navy Francis Matthews.