Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60
§464 Detention by Collectors of Customs
Title 22 › Chapter 9— FOREIGN WARS, WAR MATERIALS, AND NEUTRALITY › Subchapter III— PREVENTION OF OFFENSES AGAINST NEUTRALITY › § 464
Summary
Customs must detain any ship built for war leaving U.S. control if its cargo is mainly weapons and the crew or other signs show the owners plan to use it to attack a foreign state the U.S. is at peace with. It stays held until the President decides or the owner posts the section 463 bond.
Full Legal Text
Title 22, §464
Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
The several collectors of the customs shall detain any vessel manifestly built for warlike purposes, and about to depart the United States, or any place subject to the jurisdiction thereof, the cargo of which principally consists of arms and munitions of war, when the number of men shipped on board, or other circumstances, render it probable that such vessel is intended to be employed by the owners to cruise or commit hostilities upon the subjects, citizens, or property of any foreign prince or state, or of any colony, district, or people with whom the United States are at peace, until the decision of the President is had thereon, or until the owner gives such bond and security as is required of the owners of armed vessels by section 463 of this title.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Codification Section was formerly classified to section 29 of title 18 prior to the general revision and enactment of Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure, by act June 25, 1948, ch. 645, § 1, 62 Stat. 683.
Prior Provisions
Section was derived from R.S. § 5290 (act Apr. 20, 1818, ch. 88, § 11, 3 Stat. 450), which was repealed by act Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 341, 35 Stat. 1153.
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
Offices of collector of customs, comptroller of customs, surveyor of customs, and appraiser of merchandise of Bureau of Customs of Department of the Treasury to which appointments were required to be made by President with advice and consent of Senate ordered abolished, with such offices to be terminated not later than Dec. 31, 1966, by Reorg. Plan No. 1, of 1965 eff.
May 25, 1965, 30 F.R. 7035, 79 Stat. 1317, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Functions of Offices eliminated were already vested in Secretary of the Treasury by Reorg. Plan No. 26 of 1950, eff.
July 31, 1950, 15 F.R. 4935, 64 Stat. 1280, set out in the Appendix to Title 5.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
22 U.S.C. § 464
Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60