Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-73
§952 Diplomatic codes and correspondence
Title 18 › Part PART I— - CRIMES › Chapter CHAPTER 45— - FOREIGN RELATIONS › § 952
Summary
A U.S. employee who obtains diplomatic codes or messages (including ones sent between a foreign government and its U.S. embassy) and shares them without permission can be fined or imprisoned up to ten years, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §952
Crimes and Criminal Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, by virtue of his employment by the United States, obtains from another or has or has had custody of or access to, any official diplomatic code or any matter prepared in any such code, or which purports to have been prepared in any such code, and without authorization or competent authority, willfully publishes or furnishes to another any such code or matter, or any matter which was obtained while in the process of transmission between any foreign government and its diplomatic mission in the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on section 135 of title 22, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Foreign Relations and Intercourse (June 10, 1933, ch. 57, 48 Stat. 122). Minor changes of phraseology were made.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $10,000”.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 952
Title 18 — Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73