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REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE ~lINISTRATION OF THE FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT OF 1938, AS AMENDED FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 1965 • Report 16-.5 j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j j • j j j j j ! j TABLE OF CONTENTS Text of Report 1 Appendix I 34 Alphabetical list of all registrants whose registrations were in active status at any time during the calendar year 1965. Appendix II 49 Listing according to geographical area or nationality field of registrants whose statements were in active status at any time during the calendar year 1965. Appendix III 185 Alphabetical list of short-form registrants in active status during the calendar year 1965. Appendix IV 216 Expenditures by government information and tourist offices as reported during 1965 • • • For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C., 20402 - Price $1 REPORT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES ON THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRATION ACT OF 1938, AS AMENDED FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 1965 JULY 1966 TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED: • I have the honor to report on the administration of the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, as amended, pursuant to Section 11 of that Act which requires the Attorney General from time to time to report to the Congress concerning the administration of the Act, as well as the nature, source and content of political propaganda disseminated or distributed by agents of foreign principals registered under the Act. It has been the policy of the Department since 1950 to prepare a report each year. This report covers the adminis tration and enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act for the calendar year 1965. STATISTICAL SUMMARY One hundred thirteen new registration statements were filed in 1965, and 82 registrations were terminated, leaving 511 active registrations on file as of December 31, 1965. This represents an increase over the 480 active registrations at the close of calendar year 1964. Appendix I contains an alphabetical list of all persons whose registration statements under the Act were in active status at any time during 1965. New registrations received during 1965 are marked with an asterisk. Appendix II lists all registrations according to the geographical area or nationality • field of the foreign principal which were in active status during the calendar year 1965, as well as a brief statement identifying the nature of the agency. Registrations terminated during the year are marked with the symbol (T). When a registration statement is filed by a partnership, corporation, association, organization or other combination of individuals, each partner, officer, director or other person rendering assistance to the registrant on behalf of or in the interest of the foreign principal is required to file a short form registration statement. -2- Appendix III contains an alphabetical listing of all short form registrations which were in active status during 1965. There were 646 short-form registrations filed during the year by individuals as officers, directors, employees or other persons rendering assistance to the registrant in the interests of the foreign principal. During 1965, 228 amending statements were filed to correct deficiencies in registration statements already on file. The Registration Section processed and reviewed 841 supplemental registration statements and processed over 7,286 pieces of correspondence from other government agencies, prospective registrants, and the general public. • ENFORCEMENT t Compliance with the Act is ordinarily obtained through normal administrative procedures. A careful review of each statement filed generated many requests from the Department for further disclosure or other corrective action from registrants, and as indicated previously this resulted in the filing of 228 amended statements. No prosecutive action for willful violations of the Act was required to be undertaken during the year. Section 5 of the Act requires that every registrant keep and maintain books of account and other records with respect to all his activities on behalf of his foreign principal. Such books and records are also required to be open at all reasonable times to the inspection of any official charged with the enforce ment of the Act. The continuing program of inspections of selected registrants during 1965 resulted in greater compliance with the disclosure provisions of the Act and increased awareness of their importance. Another aspect of the enforcement program was the continued dissemination to the interested departments and agencies of the Federal Government and certain Congressional committees of copies of the registration statements and supplements received. The information received in response to this practice concerning possible inadequate disclosure or violation of the Act warrants its continuation. LEGISLATION During 1964, the Senate considered and passed S. 2136, a bill introduced by Senators J. William Fulbright and Bourke B. - 3 - Hickenlooper designed to amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act. A companion Bill, H. R. 9212, was introduced in the House by Representative Emanuel Celler, but was not acted upon. The Bill was reintroduced in the Senate in January, 1965 as S. 693 and in the House of Representatives as H. R. 290. s. 693 was passed by the Senate on April 5, 1965, and was passed by the House of Representatives on May 16, 1966 with two minor amendments.* The Bill provides for greater and more explicit disclosure by agents who are engaged in political activities on behalf of their foreign principals. The Bill also provides a civil injunctive procedure whereby the Attorney General may apply to the United States District Court for an order enjoining such persons who are engaged in, or about to engage in, an act which will constitute a violation of the statute. In addition, the Bill provides a procedure whereby the Department may notify a registrant if his registration statement does not disclose the infor mation required by the Act and specify in what respects the statement is deficient. It shall then be unlawful to act as an agent of a foreign principal at any time ten days or more after the receipt of such notification without filing an amended statement in full compliance with the Act. Further more, the proposed legislation authorizes the Attorney General to require a registrant to maintain separate books and records· pertaining to his foreign principal thus facilitating an inspection of books and records as contemplated by Section 5 of the Act. NATURE, SOURCE AND CONTENT OF POLITICAL PROPAGANDA The following is an analysis of the principal trends noted during 1965 in the propaganda material disseminated within the United States in the English language on behalf of the foreign principals and geographical areas listed below. Principal publications are set forth together with the approxi mate circulation figures per issue. Arab States • I. The League of Arab States, which is composed of Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Republic, and Yemen, maintains the Arab Information Center (AlC), 757 Third Avenue, New York~City, with branches located in Washington, D. C., Chicago, San Francisco, and Dallas. The two principal publi cations of the AIC are Arab News and Views, a bi-monthly sheet (13,500); and Arab World, a monthly magazine (23,000). *On June 15, 1966 the Senate and House conferees agreed on a Bill to be presented for passage to both Houses of Congress. - 4 - The Palestine problem continued to be of central impor tance in Arab material disseminated here. In the material which it distributes, the ArC pictured Israel as an aggressive, expansionist power, occupying by force more land than was allotted to it by the United Nations and continually ignoring United Nations resolutions, asking for repatriation and/or compensation to the more than one million Arab refugees from the area. Arab League support was promised to the Palestine Liberation Organization, a government in exile pledged to the liberation of Palestine. The League also expressed concern at Zionist propaganda in the United States, which was said to be distorting Arab positions. The key issue discussed in this regard was the Arab boycott. Denying charges of anti-Semitism made before 1 the Senate in July by the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai ti B1rith, the ArC declared that the League is not anti-Semitic. ArC drew a distinction between Judaism, a religion of universal values, which was unopposed by Arabs, and Zionism, which the ArC declared was an international political movement. Thus, measures like the Arab boycott of all foreign firms doing business with Israel was described as anti-Israel rather than anti-Jewish, and a self-defensive measure. Trade which tended lito strengthen Israel economically and to bolster its military potential II was regarded as detrimental to the security of the Arab states. Many articles traced the history of individual Arab countries, noting especially the glories of ancient civiliza tions. Modern advances were also stressed and frequent bids made for increased American trade and investment. The five member Arab Common Market, in effect as of January 1, 1965, and an agreement on a joint Arab project for exploitation of the Jordan River, were particularly cited as examples of the progressiveness of the League. Members also hailed the Jedda Agreement signed by King Faisal of Saudi Arabia and President Nasser of the United Arab Republic, ending the three-year civil war in Yemen.