THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

By His Excellency 

LEVERETT SALTONSTALL
GOVERNOR

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 31

    WHEREAS, the maintenance of shipping and the protection of ships, cargoes and crews
are vital to the prosecution of the war; and

    WHEREAS, the action of enemy submarines along the Atlantic coast has resulted in the 
destruction of numerous ships, the loss of cargoes and crews and has jeopardized the safety
of all shipping; and

    WHEREAS, lights on or near the shore which shine or are reflected toward the sea or
contrubute to the skyglow over the sea or adjacent land have caused ships along the coast
to be silhouetted during the nighttime, thereby giving substantial assistance to said submarines
and promoting the success of their activities; and

    WHEREAS, the Government of the United States, acting through the War Department,
has requested that all possible measures be taken immediately to eliminate or sharply reduce
such lights:

    NOW, THEREFORE, I, Leverett Saltonstall, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts, acting under the provisions of Acts of 1941, chapter 719, sections 7 and 8 (a), Acts
of 1942, chapter 13, sections 2 and 3, and all other authority vested in me, do hereby issue
this order as a measure necessary and expedient for meeting the supreme emergency of the
existing state of war between the United States and certain foreign countries.

    1.  The term "coastline," for the purpose of this order, is the natural shores of the main-
land and the islands of the Commonwealth, including all bays, harbors, coves, estuaries and
indentations, except in the locations hereafter described, where the coastline is established as
follows:--

    (a) Across any tidal river or estuary it shall be the line of the bridge located nearest the
sea, except in cases where such bridge is inside the coastline as defined in sections (b), (c) and
(d) of this paragraph.

    (b) At Salem Harbor it shall be a line extending from the southwesterly extremity of
Gales Point to the northeasterly extremity of Peach Point.

    (c) At Boston Harbor it shall be a line extending from the southwesterly extremity of
Deer Island to the westerly extremity of Windmill Point in the town of Hull.

    (d) At Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds it shall be lines extending from the southerly
extremity of Monomoy Point to the northerly extremity of Great Point on Nantucket Island;
thence around the easterly and southerly shores of Nantucket and Tuckernuck Islands; from 
the easterly extremity of Tuckernuck Island to Norton Point on the easterly extremity of
Martha's Vineyard Island; thence along the southerly shores of Martha's Vineyard Island to
Gay Head Light on the westerly extremity of Martha's Vineyard Island; thence from Gay
Head Light to Cuttyhunk Island Light on Cuttyhunk Island.

    2.  During the period between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour before sun-
rise, all lights of every nature which are visible from the sea, or which by themselves or with
others illuminate the sky, shall be extinguished or regulated or shielded so that such lights,
by themselves or with others, or the illumination therefrom, will not show the position or out-
line of any ship at sea.

    3.  Without limiting the generality of paragraph 2 hereof, the following specific measures
are hereby ordered, during the period between one-half hour after sunset and one-half hour 
before sunrise, for the area between the coastline as herein established and an imaginary line
three miles inland therefrom, for the cities of Newburyport, Gloucester, Beverly, Salem, New
Bedford and Fall River, the town of Plymouth, and for the area within a radius of twelve
miles from the Boston City Hall.

    (a) All lights, whether stationary or on mobile units, used for illuminating outdoor signs,
store windows or any display visible from the outside shall be extinguished.

    (b) All street lights and other outside lights, other than those referred to in section (a)
of this paragraph, shall be extinguished or regulated or shielded so that direct or reflected 
light therefrom shall neither be visible from the sea nor show above the conic surface formed
by lines drawn earthward from the center of the light source at an angle of ten degrees with
the horizontal plane through said light source.

    (c) The windows, doors and other apertures of all buildings and structures shall be regu-
lated or shielded, or the interior lights in said buildings or structures shall be extinguished or
regulated or shielded, so that direct or reflected light therefrom, by itself or with others, shall
neither be visible from the sea nor show or reflect toward the sky to such extent as to show
the position or outline of any ship at sea.

    (d) Motor vehicles which are parked on any way, public or private, shall have all lights
extinguished except parking lights.  Motor vehicles parked off any such way shall have all
lights extinguished.

    (e) The windows, doors and other apertures of railroad cars shall be regulated or shielded,
or the interior lights in said cars shall be extinguished or regulated or sheilded, so that direct
or reflected light therefrom, by itself or with others, shall neither be visible from the sea nor
show or reflect toward the sky to such extent as to show the position or outline of any ship
at sea.  The headlight on any locomotive shall be dimmed and a curtain shall be drawn over 
the cab of such locomotive on the side toward the sea so that no light from the cab shall be
visible from the sea.

    (f) The windows, doors and other apertures of electric passenger vehicles shall be regu-
lated or shielded, or the interior lights in said vehicles shall be extinguished or regulated or
shielded, so that direct or reflected light therefrom, by itself or with others, shall neither be
visible from the sea nor show or reflect toward the sky to such extent as to show the position 
or outline of any ship at sea.  Exterior lights on such vehicles, with the exception of running
lights, shall be extinguished or regulated or shielded, so that direct or reflected light there-
from, by itself or with others, shall neither be visible form the sea nor show or reflect toward 
the sky to such extent as to show the position or outline of any ship at sea.  The running lights
on such vehicles shall be dimmed.

    (g) The windows, doors and other apertures of buses and all other public passenger vehicles
shall be regulated or shielded, or the interior lights in said vehicles shall be extinguished or
regulated or shielded, so that direct or reflected light therefrom, by itself or with others, shall
neither be visible from the sea nor show or reflect toward the sky to such extent as to show the
position or outline of any ship at sea.  Exterior lights on such vehicles, with the exception of
running lights, shall be extinguished or regulated or shielded so that direct or reflected light
therefrom, by itself or with others, shall neither be visible from the sea nor show or reflect 
toward the sky to such extent as to show the position or outline of any ship at sea.  The
running lights on such vehicles shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph 4 of this order.

    4.  Motor vehicles shall be operated throughout the Commonwealth, or any area thereof
designated by the Registrar of Motor Vehicles, with lights of such intensity and regulated or
shielded in such manner as he may prescribe.  The Registrar may regulate the speed of motor
vehicles in any area of the Commonwealth in which headlights of reduced intensity have been
prescribed by him pursuant to the authority of this order.  The provisions of General Laws
(Ter. Ed.) chapter 90, sections 6, 7 and 31, or the provisions of any other law, in so far as they
are inconsistent with this paragraph, are hereby suspended.

    5.  The Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety may authorize a reasonable varia-
tion of the foregoing order and may relax specific provisions of the same, except as to para-
graphs 3 (d) and 4 hereof, when, in its opinion, the public safety, the public welfare or the
public convenience may be promoted thereby, provided that the provisions of this order shall
not be varied or relaxed to such extent as to be inconsistent with any orders of the Govern-
ment of the United States, acting through the War Department or any agency thereof.

    6.  The provisions of this order shall not apply to any real or personal property owned
by or under the control of the Government of the United States or any agency thereof.

    7.  Any person who violates any provision of this order, or any rule or regulation issued
hereunder, shall be punished therefor as provided by Acts of 1942, chapter 13, section 3.

GIVEN at the Executive Chamber in Boston, this seventeenth day of
July, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and forty-two,
and of the Independence of the United States of America, the one hun-
dred and sixty-seventh.

By His Excellency the Governor,
LEVERETT SALTONSTALL.

PAUL D. HOWARD,
Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth

GOD SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS