§ 614. — Filing and labeling of political propaganda.
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 22USC614]
TITLE 22--FOREIGN RELATIONS AND INTERCOURSE
CHAPTER 11--FOREIGN AGENTS AND PROPAGANDA
SUBCHAPTER II--REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN PROPAGANDISTS
Sec. 614. Filing and labeling of political propaganda
(a) Copies to Attorney General; statement as to places, times, and
extent of transmission
Every person within the United States who is an agent of a foreign
principal and required to register under the provisions of this
subchapter and who transmits or causes to be transmitted in the United
States mails or by any means or instrumentality of interstate or foreign
commerce any informational materials for or in the interests of such
foreign principal (i) in the form of prints, or (ii) in any other form
which is reasonably adapted to being, or which he believes will be, or
which he intends to be, disseminated or circulated among two or more
persons shall, not later than forty-eight hours after the beginning of
the transmittal thereof, file with the Attorney General two copies
thereof.
(b) Identification statement
It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States who is
an agent of a foreign principal and required to register under the
provisions of this subchapter to transmit or cause to be transmitted in
the United States mails or by any means or instrumentality of interstate
or foreign commerce any informational materials for or in the interests
of such foreign principal without placing in such informational
materials a conspicuous statement that the materials are distributed by
the agent on behalf of the foreign principal, and that additional
information is on file with the Department of Justice, Washington,
District of Columbia. The Attorney General may by rule define what
constitutes a conspicuous statement for the purposes of this subsection.
(c) Public inspection
The copies of informational materials required by this subchapter to
be filed with the Attorney General shall be available for public
inspection under such regulations as he may prescribe.
(d) Library of Congress
For purposes of the Library of Congress, other than for public
distribution, the Secretary of the Treasury and the United States Postal
Service are authorized, upon the request of the Librarian of Congress,
to forward to the Library of Congress fifty copies, or as many fewer
thereof as are available, of all foreign prints determined to be
prohibited entry under the provisions of section 1305 of title 19 and of
all foreign prints excluded from the mails under authority of section
1717 of title 18.
Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1305 of title 19 and of
section 1717 of title 18, the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to
permit the entry and the United States Postal Service is authorized to
permit the transmittal in the mails of foreign prints imported for
governmental purposes by authority or for the use of the United States
or for the use of the Library of Congress.
(e) Information furnished to agency or official of United States
Government
It shall be unlawful for any person within the United States who is
an agent of a foreign principal required to register under the
provisions of this subchapter to transmit, convey, or otherwise furnish
to any agency or official of the Government (including a Member or
committee of either House of Congress) for or in the interests of such
foreign principal any political propaganda or to request from any such
agency or official for or in the interests of such foreign principal any
information or advice with respect to any matter pertaining to the
political or public interests, policies or relations of a foreign
country or of a political party or pertaining to the foreign or domestic
policies of the United States unless the propaganda or the request is
prefaced or accompanied by a true and accurate statement to the effect
that such person is registered as an agent of such foreign principal
under this subchapter.
(f) Appearances before Congressional committees
Whenever any agent of a foreign principal required to register under
this subchapter appears before any committee of Congress to testify for
or in the interests of such foreign principal, he shall, at the time of
such appearance, furnish the committee with a copy of his most recent
registration statement filed with the Department of Justice as an agent
of such foreign principal for inclusion in the records of the committee
as part of his testimony.
(June 8, 1938, ch. 327, Sec. 4, 52 Stat. 632; Aug. 7, 1939, ch. 521,
Sec. 3, 53 Stat. 1246; Apr. 29, 1942, ch. 263, Sec. 1, 56 Stat. 255;
Pub. L. 89-486, Sec. 4, July 4, 1966, 80 Stat. 246; Pub. L. 91-375,
Sec. 4(a), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 773; Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 9(4)-(6),
Dec. 19, 1995, 109 Stat. 700.)
Codification
Section 1717 of title 18, referred to in subsec. (d), was in the
original ``section 1 of title XII of the Act of June 15, 1917 (40 Stat.
230)'' which was classified to section 343 of former Title 18, Criminal
Code and Criminal Procedure. ``Section 1717 of title 18'' substituted
for ``section 343 of title 18'' on authority of act June 25, 1948, ch.
645, 62 Stat. 683, section 1 of which enacted Title 18, Crimes and
Criminal Procedure.
Prior Provisions
Prior to general amendment of act June 8, 1938, by act Apr. 29,
1942, section related to retention of statements as public records.
Provisions on that subject were incorporated in section 616 of this
title by 1942 amendment.
Amendments
1995--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 9(4)(B), which directed
striking out ``and a statement, duly signed by or on behalf of such an
agent, setting forth full information as to the places, times, and
extent of such transmittal'' after ``Attorney General two copies
thereof'', was executed by striking out such language, which read in
part ``on behalf of such agent'', to reflect the probable intent of
Congress.
Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 9(4)(A), substituted ``informational
materials'' for ``political propaganda''.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 9(5), substituted ``informational
materials for or'' for ``political propaganda for or'' and substituted
``without placing in such informational materials a conspicuous
statement that the materials are distributed by the agent on behalf of
the foreign principal, and that additional information is on file with
the Department of Justice, Washington, District of Columbia. The
Attorney General may by rule define what constitutes a conspicuous
statement for the purposes of this subsection.'' for cls. (i) and (ii)
and concluding provisions which made it unlawful for an agent of a
foreign principal to transmit in the United States political propaganda
unless the propaganda identified the agent and contained information
about the registration of the agent and authorized the Attorney General
to prescribe regulations relating to the information to be provided.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104-65, Sec. 9(6), substituted ``informational
materials'' for ``political propaganda''.
1966--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89-486, Sec. 4(1), inserted ``for or in
the interests of such foreign principal'' after ``political propaganda''
and substituted ``file with the Attorney General two copies thereof''
for ``sent to the Librarian of Congress two copies thereof and file with
the Attorney General one copy thereof''.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 89-486, Sec. 4(2), inserted ``for or in the
interests of such foreign principal'' after ``political propaganda'',
where first appearing, and ``the relationship or connection between the
person transmitting the political propaganda or causing it to be
transmitted and such propaganda;'' after ``setting forth'' and
substituted ``such foreign principal'' for each of his foreign
principals''.
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 89-486, Sec. 4(3), substituted ``filed with the
Attorney General'' for ``sent to the Librarian of Congress''.
Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 89-486, Sec. 4(4), added subsecs. (e) and
(f).
1942--Act Apr. 29, 1942, amended section generally.
1939--Act Aug. 7, 1939, amended section generally.
Effective Date of 1995 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 104-65 effective Jan. 1, 1996, except as
otherwise provided, see section 24 of Pub. L. 104-65, set out as an
Effective Date note under section 1601 of Title 2, The Congress.
Effective Date of 1966 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 89-486 effective ninety days after July 4,
1966, see section 9 of Pub. L. 89-486, set out as a note under section
611 of this title.
Effective Date of 1942 Amendment
Amendment by act Apr. 29, 1942, effective on the sixtieth day after
Apr. 29, 1942, except that prior to such sixtieth day the Attorney
General may make, prescribe, amend, and rescind such rules, regulations,
and forms as may be necessary to carry out act Apr. 29, 1942, see
section 3 of act Apr. 29, 1942, set out as a note under section 611 of
this title.
Transfer of Functions
In subsec. (d), ``United States Postal Service'' substituted for
``Postmaster General'' in two places pursuant to Pub. L. 91-375,
Sec. 4(a), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 773, set out as a note under section
201 of Title 39, Postal Service, which abolished office of Postmaster
General of Post Office Department and transferred its functions to
United States Postal Service.
Section Referred to in Other Sections
This section is referred to in sections 617, 618 of this title.
