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Executive Action

President Truman orders federal seizure of steel mills

On April 8, 1952, Truman directed the Secretary of Commerce to seize and operate the nation's major steel mills to avert a nationwide strike that threatened Korea-war production.

The seizure provoked immediate legal challenges and led to the landmark Supreme Court case Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, which curtailed presidential authority to seize private industry.

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