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J ee | tee * nets 4 A, +m hie det pet ee ’ -~ii- ~ The work stoppage continued into May. On Ilay 2st, 1946, the President of the United States "in the interest of the war effort and to preserve the national economic structure in the present emergency" issued Executive Order 9728 The order, based on the powers vested in the President under the Constitution and laws of the United States, particularly the ar Labor Disputes Act, directed the Secretary of the Interior to take possession of those mines which had been interrupted in their operation by the ‘orl stoppace—-and to operate or arran’e for their operation in such manner as he founc necessar;;. The Secretary of the Interior, on the same date--llay 21st-——-took possession of practically all the bituainous coal mines of the Mation-—-some 2200 .xines--and the United States has been in possession of the: since that tice. * The Secretary immediately began negotiations with the representatives of the miners, to bring about a return to work Thereafter an azreeuent, commonly referred to as the lruceLevis Agreement, was executed on Hay 29th by the Secretary as Coal lines Adivinistrator and the defendant, John L Lewis, as President of the United liine Workers. The Government then asplied to the National Wage Stabilization Doard, pursuant to Section 5 of the War Labor Disputes Act, for permission to pay substantial increases in wages, and to make certain changes in the terms and conditions of eumloyment of the miners, all of vhich were contained in such agreement. ‘his application was approved by the Board on ‘lay 3lst, in an order incorporatin> the changes made by the Krug-Lewis Agreeaent, and was approved by the President of the