“(4) any person performing only private, nonpolitical, financial, mercantile, or other activities in furtherance of the bona fide trade or commerce of such foreign principal; nor

"(5) any person engaged only in activities in furtherance of bona fide religious, scholastic, academic, or scientific pursuits or of the fine arts.

"(e) The term 'Secretary' means the Secretary of State of the United States."

SEC. 2. That section 3 of the Act entitled "An Act to require the registration of certain persons employed by agencies to disseminate propaganda in the United States and for other purposes", approved June 8, 1938 (Public Law Numbered 583, Seventy-fifth Congress, third session), is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 3. Every person who has filed a registration statement required by section 2 shall, within thirty days after the expiration of each period of six months succeeding the first filing, file with the Secretary a statement, under oath, on a form prescribed by the Secretary, which shall set forth with respect to such preceding six months' period

"(a) Such facts as may be necessary to make the information required under section 2 hereof accurate and current with respect to such period;

"(b) The amount and form of compensation received by such person for acting as agent for a foreign principal which has been received during such six months' period either directly or indirectly from any foreign principal; and

"(c) A statement containing such details required under this Act as the Secretary shall fix, of the activities of such person as agent of a foreign principal during such six months' period."

SEC. 3. That section 4 of the Act entitled "An Act to require the registration of certain persons employed by agencies to disseminate propaganda in the United States and for other purposes", approved June 8, 1938 (Public Law Numbered 583, Seventy-fifth Congress, third session), is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 4. The Secretary shall retain in permanent form all statements filed under this Act, and such statements shall be public records and open to public examination and inspection at all reasonable hours, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary may prescribe: Provided, That the Secretary is hereby authorized to withdraw from the public records the registration statement of any person whose activities have ceased to be of a character which requires registration under the terms of this Act."

[CHAPTER 557-1ST SESSION]

[H. R. 6037]

AN ACT

To amend section 194 of an Act entitled "An Act to codify, revise, and amend the penal laws of the United States", approved March 4, 1909 (35 Stat. L. 1088).

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 194 of the Act to codify, revise, and amend the penal laws of the United States, approved March 4, 1909, as amended (U. S. C., 1934 edition, title 18, sec. 317), be amended to read as follows:

"SEC. 194. Whoever shall steal, take, or abstract, or by fraud or deception obtain, or attempt so to obtain, from or out of any mail, post office, or station thereof, or other authorized depository for mail matter, or from a letter or mail carrier, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or shall abstract or remove from any such letter, package, bag, or mail, any article or thing contained therein, or shall secrete, embezzle, or destroy any such letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein; or whoever shall steal, take, or abstract, or by fraud or deception obtain any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, which has been left for collection upon or adjacent to a collection box or other authorized depository of mail matter; or whoever shall buy, receive, or conceal, or aid in buying, receiving, or concealing, or shall unlawfully have in his possession, any letter, postal card, package, bag, or mail, or any article or thing contained therein, which has been so stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted, as herein described, knowing the same to have been stolen, taken, embezzled, or abstracted; or whoever shall take any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or station thereof, or out of any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter or mail carrier, or which has been in any post office or station thereof, or other authorized depository, or in the custody of any letter or mail carrier, before it has been delivered to the person to whom it was directed, with a design to obstruct the correspondence, or to pry into the business or secrets of another, or shall open, secrete, embezzle, or destroy the same, shall be fined not more. than $2,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."

Approved, August 7, 1939.

[CHAPTER 638-1ST SESSION]

[S. 2245]

AN ACT

To prohibit the use of the mails for the solicitation of the procurement of divorces in foreign countries.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That every written or printed card, circular, letter, book, pamphlet, advertisement, or notice of any kind, giving or offering to give information concerning where or how or through whom a divorce may be secured in a foreign country, and designed to solicit business in connection with the procurement thereof, is hereby declared to be nonmailable matter and shall not be conveyed in the mails or delivered from any post office or by any letter carrier. Whoever shall knowingly deposit, or cause to be deposited, for mailing or delivery, anything declared by this section to be nonmailable, or shall knowingly take or cause the same to be taken from the mails for the purpose of circulating or disposing thereof, shall be fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.

SEC. 2. Nothing herein contained shall be construed to preclude criminal prosecution under the provisions of section 338, title 18, United States Code (Criminal Code, sec. 215), in any case in which the mails are used by any person in furtherance of any scheme or artifice to defraud, or for obtaining money or property by means of false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises.

Approved, August 10, 1939.

[CHAPTER 1-3D SESSION]

[H. R. 6832]

AN ACT

To provide for the protection of witnesses appearing before any department, independent establishment, or other agency of the United States, or the Congress of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Criminal Code of the United States be amended by inserting therein a new section immediately following section 135 (U. S. C., title 18, sec. 241) to be known as section 135 (a) (U. S. C., title 18, sec. 241 (a)) and reading as follows:

"SEC. 135. (a) That whoever corruptly, or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, shall endeavor to influence, intimidate, or impede any witness in any proceeding pending before any department, independent establishment, board, commission, or other agency of the United States, or in connection with any inquiry or investigation being had by either House, or any committee of either House, or any joint committee of the Congress of the United States, or who corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication shall influence, obstruct, or impede, or endeavor to influence, obstruct, or impede the due and proper administration of the law under which such proceeding is being had before such department, independent establishment, board, commission, or other agency of the United States, or the due and proper exercise of the power of inquiry under which such inquiry or investigation is being had by either House, or any committee of either House or any joint committee of the Congress of the United States shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, or both."

Approved, January 13, 1940.

[CHAPTER 73-3D SESSION]

[S. 2739]

AN ACT

To amend section 45 of the United States Criminal Code to make it applicable to the outlying possessions of the United States.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 45 of the Act entitled "An Act to codify, revise, and amend the penal laws of the United States", approved March 4, 1909 (35 Stat. 1097), be, and the same is hereby, amended by inserting after the word "Whoever" and before the word "shall", in the first line of said section, a comma, followed by the phrase: "within the territory or jurisdiction of the United States, including the Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, and the Philippine Islands,".

Approved, March 28, 1940.

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