Executive Order 10450: Security and Loyalty Measures

Historical Event

Date

April 27, 1953

Location

United States

Result

Policy enacted

Introduction

President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued Executive Order 10450 on April 27, 1953, to strengthen national security by expanding the criteria for investigating federal employees. This order replaced an earlier loyalty program and charged agency heads, supported by the FBI, with identifying security risks, including vague judgments about character, stability, and "sexual perversion," which targeted LGBTQ+ individuals. It became a central force in the “Lavender Scare,” leading to the dismissal of thousands of gay and lesbian federal workers during the Cold War era. The order remained in effect until 1973, reinforcing government-sanctioned discrimination against LGBTQ+ people for two decades.

Background and causes of Executive Order 10450

During the early 1950s, fears of communist infiltration and espionage gripped the United States, leading to heightened concerns about national security and loyalty within the federal government. This period, marked by the "Red Scare" and intense anti-communist sentiment, also gave rise to the "Lavender Scare," which targeted LGBTQ individuals as security risks. In response, on April 27, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a new directive to tighten security evaluations of federal employees, broadening criteria beyond political affiliations to include moral and character judgments. This directive, known as Executive Order 10450, replaced an earlier loyalty program and expanded the grounds for dismissal to include “sexual perversion,” effectively barring thousands of lesbian and gay people from government jobs. The order reflected widespread societal fears and pressures, including those from Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist crusade, and institutionalized discrimination against LGBTQ individuals for decades, reinforcing stigma and driving many from public service. These background causes shaped an era of fear and exclusion lasting well beyond the order’s issuance.

Events surrounding Executive Order 10450

The sequence of events surrounding Executive Order 10450 marks a significant mid-20th-century federal action focused on government employee security.

Issuance and immediate impact

On April 27, 1953, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10450, which became effective on May 27, 1953. It formally revoked President Truman's earlier Executive Order 9835 from 1947. The earlier order had established the Loyalty Review Board, which was dismantled under the new order. Instead, responsibility shifted to the heads of federal agencies and the Civil Service Commission, backed by the FBI, to investigate and determine whether government employees posed security risks. This change expanded the criteria used for such evaluations beyond political loyalty to include more subjective measures of character and reliability.

Expanded security criteria

Executive Order 10450 introduced a broad definition of potential security risks, including “any criminal, infamous, dishonest, immoral, or notoriously disgraceful conduct, habitual use of intoxicants to excess, drug addiction, or sexual perversion.” This wide-ranging language marked a significant shift from prior policies focused mainly on disloyalty or political affiliations. Agencies were advised to consider both current and transient conditions, such as mental health, in their assessments of employees’ suitability.

FBI and agency role in enforcement

Throughout the order’s implementation, the FBI played an active role in supporting agencies with investigations. Federal employees were scrutinized for traits deemed incompatible with government service under the new order. This system led to the exclusion and dismissal of many employees based on these expanded standards, particularly impacting groups suspected of "sexual perversion," a term used at the time to target lesbian and gay individuals. The order thus intensified the Lavender Scare by barring thousands from federal jobs.

Continuing administration and review

The Office of Personnel Management, alongside other agencies and the National Security Council, was tasked with ongoing review and study of how the order was applied across the government. This continued oversight helped enforce the order’s criteria consistently throughout multiple administrations. Executive Order 10450 remained in effect for decades until changes began in the 1970s, with its complete repeal only finalized much later.

Executive Order 10450, therefore, set a course of broad and sometimes controversial federal security checks, reshaping federal employment practices during its effective years.

Results and impacts of the order

Executive Order 10450 had significant results and impacts, especially on federal employees and the LGBTQ+ community. Issued in 1953, it expanded the criteria for security risks beyond political loyalty to include vague assessments like character, stability, and reliability. This change led to the dismissal and barring of thousands of federal workers, particularly targeting lesbian and gay individuals under the label of "sexual perversion," fueling what became known as the Lavender Scare.

The order gave federal agencies, supported by the FBI, broad authority to investigate employees, increasing fear and repression in government workplaces. It institutionalized discrimination by allowing personal behaviors unrelated to job performance to justify firing. This had a long-lasting chilling effect on LGBTQ+ rights, contributing to systemic exclusion within federal employment for years afterward.

Historical significance of the order

Executive Order 10450, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, had a significant historical impact by expanding federal security guidelines to include broad terms like "sexual perversion," which targeted and barred thousands of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals from federal employment. This order intensified the Lavender Scare, a parallel to the Red Scare, leading to widespread dismissals and fostering an atmosphere of fear and discrimination in the federal workforce. It marked a shift from focusing solely on political loyalty to evaluating personal character and stability, embedding systemic discrimination in government hiring. Its effects lasted decades, fueling early LGBTQ+ activism and were not fully repealed until 2017.