[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.


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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 <[email protected]>.

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.