[United States Government Manual] [July 01, 1995] [Pages iii-iv] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov][[Page iii]] 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 purpose and role in the Federal Government, a brief history of the agency, including its legislative or executive authority, a description of its programs and activities, and a ``Sources of Information'' section. This last section provides information on consumer activities, contracts and grants, employment, publications, and many other areas of public interest. The 1995/96 Manual was prepared by the Legislative Unit, Office of the Federal Register. Gwendolyn J. Henderson was Managing Editor, assisted by Albert Kapikian, Kent Giles, and Alfred Jones. COVER: This year's covers capture the sentiments and spirit of events surrounding World War II, commemorating the Allied victory at the end of the War and embodying the bravery and dedication of those who made it happen. Special thanks is extended to the Office of Public Programs at the National Archives for supplying the original photos used in developing the covers. The Federal Register and Its Special Editions The Manual is published as a special edition of the Federal Register (see 1 CFR 9.1). Its focus is on programs and activities. Persons interested in detailed organizational structure, the regulatory documents of an agency, or Presidential documents should refer to the Federal Register or one of its other special editions, described below. Issued each Federal working day, the Federal Register provides a uniform system for publishing Presidential documents, regulatory documents with general applicability and legal effect, proposed rules, notices, and documents required to be published by statute. The Code of Federal Regulations is an annual codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register. The Code is divided into 50 titles that represent broad areas subject to Federal regulation. The Code is kept up to date by the individual issues of the Federal Register. The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents serves as a timely, up-to-date reference source for the public policies and activities of the President. It contains the remarks, news conferences, messages, statements, and other Presidential material of a public nature issued by the White House during the week reported. A companion publication to the Weekly Compilation is the Public Papers of the Presidents, which contains public Presidential documents and speeches in convenient book form. Volumes of the Public Papers have been published for every President since Herbert Hoover, with the exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose papers were published privately. [[Page iv]] Other Office of the Federal Register Publications The Office of the Federal Register publishes slip laws, which are pamphlet prints of each public and private law enacted by Congress. Slip laws are compiled annually as the United States Statutes at Large. The Statutes volumes contain all public and private laws and concurrent resolutions enacted during a session of Congress; recommendations for executive, legislative, and judicial salaries; reorganization plans; proposed and ratified amendments to the Constitution; and Presidential proclamations. Included with many of these documents are sidenotes, U.S. Code and statutes citations, and a summary of their legislative histories. Publication Availability The publications of the Office of the Federal Register are available for sale by writing: Superintendent of Documents P.O. Box 371954 Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954 and are also sold at Government Printing Office bookstores located in several major cities. Telephone inquiries should be directed to 202-512- 1800. Electronic Services The Office of the Federal Register maintains a free electronic bulletin board service, FREND (Federal Register Electronic News Delivery), for public law numbers, Federal Register finding aids, and related information. To access by modem: phone, 202-275-0920. In addition, the Federal Register's public inspection list and table of contents are also available on the National Archives' Fax-on-Demand system. Phone, 301-713-6905. The texts of The United States Government Manual and the Federal Register are available in electronic format. For more information, contact Electronic Information Dissemination Services, U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone, 202-512-1530. The Government Printing Office access user support internet e-mail address is <help@eids05.eids.gpo.gov>. Further Information Information on The United States Government Manual and other publications of the Office of the Federal Register may be obtained by writing: Office of the Federal Register National Archives and Records Administration Washington, DC 20408 Inquiries should be directed by phone to 202-523-5240 or faxed to 202- 523-6866.