Title 50War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§4338 Divestment of estates, trusts, insurance policies, annuities, remainders, pensions, workmen’s compensation and veterans’ benefits; exceptions; notice of divestment

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 53— - TRADING WITH THE ENEMY › § 4338

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Rights to estates, trusts, insurance policies, annuities, remainders, pensions, workers’ compensation, and veterans’ benefits that vested under this chapter after December 17, 1941, but were not payable to or in the Attorney General’s possession before December 31, 1961, are taken away. The Attorney General still keeps any property rights or income that were payable to or held by him before December 31, 1961. If the beneficial owner is a real person who was personally and by name convicted by a court with authority for crimes such as murder, ill treatment, deportation for slave labor, plunder, or wanton destruction, their interest is not taken away. The Attorney General must send written notice as soon as practicable to the lawful owner or custodian of any interest that is taken away.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §4338

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to the provisions of subsection (b) hereof, all rights and interests of individuals in estates, trusts, insurance policies, annuities, remainders, pensions, workmen’s compensation and veterans’ benefits vested under this chapter after December 17, 1941, which have not become payable or deliverable to or have not vested in possession in the Attorney General prior to December 31, 1961, are divested: Provided, That the provisions of this section shall not affect the right of the Attorney General to retain all such property rights and interests and to collect all income which is payable to or vested in possession in him prior to December 31, 1961.
(b)Nothing contained in this section shall divest or require the divestment of any portion of any such interest the beneficial owner of which is a natural person who has been convicted personally and by name by a court of competent jurisdiction of murder, ill treatment, or deportation for slave labor of prisoners of war, political opponents, hostages, or civilian population in occupied territories, or of murder or ill treatment of military or naval persons, or of plunder or wanton destruction without justified military necessity.
(c)At the earliest practicable time after the effective date of this Act, the Attorney General shall transmit to the lawful owner or custodian of any interest divested by this section written notice of such divestment.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This chapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this Act”, meaning act Oct. 6, 1917, ch. 106, 40 Stat. 411, known as the Trading with the enemy Act, also known as the Trading with the Enemy Act, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 4301 of this title and Tables. The

Effective Date

of this Act, referred to in subsec. (c), probably means the date of enactment of Pub. L. 87–846, which added this section and was approved Oct. 22, 1962. Codification Section was formerly classified to section 41 of the former Appendix to this title prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 4338

Title 50War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73