On this day in 1945, President Truman signed Executive Order No. 9639, authorizing the Secretary of the Navy to seize control of and operate certain oil refineries because of a possible strike by oil, gas, and chemical workers. In the Order, Truman declared the action necessary because "the war effort [would] be unduly impeded or delayed" by "interruptions in the operation of the plants and facilities used in the transportation, refining, and processing of petroleum and petroleum products."