Executive Order 12343

By the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by Section 3347 of Title 5 and Section 301 of Title 3 of the United States Code, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. During any period when, by reason of absence, disability, or vacancy in office, neither the Secretary of State nor the Deputy Secretary of State, is available to exercise the powers or perform the duties of the Office of the Secretary, an officer from the Department of State who has been appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, in such order as the Secretary of State may from time to time prescribe, shall act as Secretary. If no such order of succession is in effect at that time, then such officers shall act as Secretary in descending order of rank, as established by the listing of their offices in Sections 5314 or 5315 of Title 5 of the United States Code, and at each level of the Executive Schedule in the order in which they shall have taken the oath as such officers. Sec. 2. The President may at any time, pursuant to law but without regard to the foregoing provisions of this Order, direct that an officer specified by the President shall act as Secretary of State. Sec. 3. Executive Order No. 10839 is revoked.

RONALD REAGAN The White House, January 27, 1982.

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 11:34 a.m., January 28, 1982] Note: The text of the Executive order was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on January 28.