Eisenhower Ten

The Eisenhower Ten or E-10 were a group of U.S. citizens who were secretly tasked by President Eisenhower in 1958 to serve as administrators in the event of a national emergency. There were actually nine positions, but one administrator-designate resigned and was replaced. Eisenhower discussed the issues with each appointee and then personally sent letters of invitation on March 6, 1958. The selection and appointment of these administrator-designates was classified Top Secret.

In an emergency, each administrator was to take charge of a specifically activated agency to maintain the continuity of government. These agencies would be subordinate to the Director of the Office of Emergency Resources. Gordon Gray, the director of the Office of Defense Mobilization, coordinated meetings.

In May 1961, Fred Dutton, special assistant to President Kennedy, discovered copies of the letters and informed National Security Advisor McGeorge Bundy.

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