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Title 22, Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-102

§615 Books and Records

Title 22 › CHAPTER 11 — FOREIGN AGENTS AND PROPAGANDA › SUBCHAPTER II — REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN PROPAGANDISTS › § 615

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

Anyone registered as an agent for a foreign principal must keep accounting records and other papers about the activities the law makes them report. The Attorney General can create rules about how to keep those records, while considering national security and the public interest. Agents must keep the records for three years after they stop being an agent. Until the rules exist, agents must still keep and keep written records. Law enforcement officials may inspect them at reasonable times. It is illegal to knowingly hide, destroy, damage, change, or try to do any of those things to required records.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §615

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

Every agent of a foreign principal registered under this subchapter shall keep and preserve while he is an agent of a foreign principal such books of account and other records with respect to all his activities, the disclosure of which is required under the provisions of this subchapter, in accordance with such business and accounting practices, as the Attorney General, having due regard for the national security and the public interest, may by regulation prescribe as necessary or appropriate for the enforcement of the provisions of this subchapter and shall preserve the same for a period of three years following the termination of such status. Until regulations are in effect under this section every agent of a foreign principal shall keep books of account and shall preserve all written records with respect to his activities. Such books and records shall be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of any official charged with the enforcement of this subchapter. It shall be unlawful for any person willfully to conceal, destroy, obliterate, mutilate, or falsify, or to attempt to conceal, destroy, obliterate, mutilate, or falsify, or to cause to be concealed, destroyed, obliterated, mutilated, or falsified, any books or records required to be kept under the provisions of this section.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Prior to general amendment of act June 8, 1938, by act Apr. 29, 1942, section related to penalties. Provisions on that subject were incorporated in section 618 of this title by 1942 amendment.

Amendments

1966—Pub. L. 89–486 inserted “in accordance with such business and accounting practices,” after “under the provisions of this subchapter,”. 1942—Act Apr. 29, 1942, amended section generally.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

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.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 615

Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102