United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions
The so-called Plum Book - the official title is United States Government Policy and Supporting Positions - is a handbook that is reissued by the US government after the presidential election. It provides information on all around 7000 offices in the federal administration that are not advertised in open competition . This includes, for example, all government employees appointed by the US President .
The list of these offices was first published in 1952 during the tenure of Dwight D. Eisenhower . When Eisenhower was elected president, Republican politicians demanded a list of all offices that he can appoint. The next edition appeared in 1960 and then regularly every four years.
The name “Plum Book” obviously describes the plum-colored design of the cover (plum = plum).