The chronicle., 1963-12-05
Pay Records
Show Continuity
Of Government

tive 2 pm. EST, Friday. Nov.
%, the name of John F. Ken
nedy was removed from the
governments payroll as Presi'
dent and replaced with that Of
Lyndon B. johnson.
Few Of the events of the last
week illustrate more effectively
that continuity without confu.
Sion'' in government urged BY
President Johnson than thai
simple bookkeeping notation BY
the General Accounting Office
(GAO).
The actual change on the
GAGS books was not made un
til Tuesday since the office was
closed Monday, the official day
of mourning for the slain PreSi
dent. But it was made retroac'
tive to that tragic hour when
the President passed away.
At that time, Johnson's sal
airy went from the $4,000 an
nuaIly he received as vice preSi-
0ent to 500, 900.
He also began receiving the
$50, 900 annual allowance given
to the President "for defraying
expenses relating to or result
ing from the discharge of his
official duties"
A GAO official said the book,
keeping change was strictly an
intra-office transaction that in
voIved no extensive p~aperwork.
Handles Payroll
The GAO handles the preSi-
Dental payroll. It sends a form
each month to the Treasury
showing how much the Chief
Executive should be paid for
that period. Checks are made
out at the end Of each month
There was no change in the
salary Of Speaker John W. Nc
Cormack, D-MaSS., now next ir
line Of presidential succession
He continues to receive the
$3.50 salary paid to the pre-
siding officer Of the House.
However, Senate President
P~ro-Tempore Carl Hayden, D
Ariz.-who becomes third in line
for the nations highest office
received a raise from his sen.
ator'S pay of $22, 500 to SIS, 900
He now receives the vice
presidents salary because he
will be performing the vice
presidents Senate duties ever
though Hayden does not receive
the title. These include preSid
ing over the Senate, processing
communications and legislation
and handling other responsible
ties involved in the parliamen'
tary ritual.
The law also provides thai
the widow of a President is en-.
titled to a $40, 900 lifetime pen
sion, but to receive it she must
waive the right to any other
government annuity for which
she may be eligible.
In the case of Mrs. Jacque-
line Kennedy, she also would be
entitled to a pension as the
widow of a man who served In
both the House and the Senate.
Use Formula
A Treasury official said the
amount is calculated by using
a formula based on years OF
service and the salary during
those years.
He was unable to state spe-
officially whether this would be
more than the $1O,O 900 presiden-
tial pension, He said this infor-
nation was considered confiden-
tial and usually was not re.
vealed by the government.
There was one interesting
bookkeeping aspect of the tragic
change that came about last
Friday. The GAO said the pay
on that day for both the late
President and his successor
would be pro-rated.
A GAO official said that for
such bookkeeping calculations,
the Presidents salary and al
lowance is figured on a daily
basis which comes to about SAIL
per day.
He said this means that the
books were adjusted to credit
the late Presidents salary ac-
count for about 14-24ths of the
daily salary on Friday-or a lit
tie more than half of the SAIL.
The balance went to the new
President for services per-
formed the remainder of that
fateful day when the nations
highest office was suddenly