[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 52 (Monday, December 31, 2001)]
[Pages 1841-1842]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Executive Order--Providing an Order of Succession Within the Department 
of State

December 28, 2001

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and 
laws of the United States of America, including the Federal Vacancies 
Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. 3345 et seq., it is hereby ordered that:
    Section 1. Subject to the provisions of section 3 of this order, the 
officers named in section 2, in the order listed, shall act as, and 
perform the duties of, the office of Secretary of State (Secretary) 
during any period in which the Secretary has died, resigned, or 
otherwise become unable to perform the functions and duties of the 
office of Secretary.
    Sec. 2. Order of Succession.
    (a) Deputy Secretary of State;
    (b) Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources;
    (c) Under Secretary of State designated for political affairs 
pursuant to section 2651a(b) of title 22, United States Code;
    (d) Under Secretary of State designated for management affairs 
pursuant to section 2651a(b) of title 22, United States Code;
    (e) The remaining Under Secretaries of State, in the order in which 
they shall have taken the oath of office as such;
    (f) Assistant Secretaries of State designated for regional bureaus 
pursuant to section 2651a(c) of title 22, United States Code, in the 
order in which they shall have taken the oath of office as such;
    (g) The following officers, in the order in which they shall have 
taken the oath of office as such:
      (1) Remaining Assistant Secretaries of State;
      (2) Coordinator for Counterterrorism;
      (3) Director General of the Foreign Service; and
      (4) Legal Adviser;
    (h) United States Representative to the United Nations (New York);
    (i) Deputy United States Representative to the United Nations (New 
York);
    (j) The following other United States Representatives to the United 
Nations (New York), in the order in which they shall have taken the oath 
of office as such:
    United States Representative to the United Nations for United 
Nations Management and Reform;
    United States Representative to the United Nations on the Economic 
and Social Council of the United Nations; and
    Alternate United States Representative to the United Nations for 
Special Political Affairs in the United Nations;
    (k) The following Chiefs of Mission, in the order listed:
      (1) United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom;
      (2) United States Ambassador to Canada;
      (3) United States Ambassador to Australia;
      (4) United States Ambassador to Mexico;
      (5) United States Ambassador to Japan; and
      (6) United States Ambassador to India;

[[Page 1842]]

    (l) The following officers, in the order in which they shall have 
taken the oath of office as such:
      (1) United States Ambassadors at Large;
      (2) Counselor; and
      (3) Special Representatives of the President; and
    (m) The remaining Chiefs of Mission, in the order in which they 
shall have taken the oath of office as such.
    Sec. 3. Exceptions.
    (a) No individual who has not been appointed by the President by and 
with the consent of the Senate shall act as Secretary pursuant to this 
order.
    (b) No individual who is serving in an office listed in section 
2(a)-(m) in an acting capacity shall act as Secretary pursuant to this 
order.
    (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of this order, the President 
retains discretion, to the extent permitted by the Federal Vacancies 
Reform Act of 1998, 5 U.S.C. 3345 et seq., to depart from this order in 
designating an acting Secretary.
    (d) A successor office, intended to be the equivalent of an office 
identified in section 2 of this order, shall be deemed to be the 
position identified in section 2 for purposes of this order.
    Sec. 4. Executive Order 12343 of January 27, 1982, is hereby 
revoked.
                                                George W. Bush
 The White House,
 December 28, 2001.

Note: At the time of publication, this Executive order had not been 
received by the Office of the Federal Register for assignment of an 
Executive order number. An original was not available for verification 
of the content of this Executive order.