Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73
§614 Filing and labeling of political propaganda
Title 22 › Chapter CHAPTER 11— - FOREIGN AGENTS AND PROPAGANDA › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN PROPAGANDISTS › § 614
Summary
If you are an agent in the United States for a foreign principal and you send informational materials (printed items or anything meant to be circulated to two or more people), you must file two copies of those materials with the Attorney General within 48 hours after you start sending them. The materials must carry a clear notice that they are being distributed by the agent on behalf of the foreign principal and that more information is on file with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. The Attorney General can decide what counts as a "clear" notice. The copies you file can be inspected by the public under rules set by the Attorney General. You must not give political propaganda to any government agency or official, or ask them for political information, for a foreign principal unless you include a true statement that you are registered as that agent. If you testify before a congressional committee for that foreign principal, you must give the committee a copy of your most recent registration for the record. The Treasury and U.S. Postal Service may send the Library of Congress up to 50 copies (or fewer if not available) of foreign printed materials barred from entry or excluded from the mails, and may allow such prints into the country or the mail if they are for U.S. government use or the Library’s use.
Full Legal Text
Title 22, §614
Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)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)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)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)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)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)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.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
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, § 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, § 9(4)(A), substituted “informational materials” for “political propaganda”. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–65, § 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, § 9(6), substituted “informational materials” for “political propaganda”. 1966—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 89–486, § 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, § 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, § 4(3), substituted “filed with the Attorney General” for “sent to the Librarian of Congress”. Subsecs. (e), (f). Pub. L. 89–486, § 4(4), added subsecs. (e) and (f). 1942—Act Apr. 29, 1942, amended section generally. 1939—Act Aug. 7, 1939, amended section generally.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1995 AmendmentAmendment 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 AmendmentAmendment 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 AmendmentAmendment 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, § 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.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
22 U.S.C. § 614
Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73