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23 Cornell Int'l L.J. 133 (1990)
Recently Proposed Reforms to the Foreign Agents Registration Act

handle is hein.journals/cintl23 and id is 147 raw text is: Recently Proposed Reforms to the Foreign Agents Registration Act Introduction Inspired by the words of Pogo, We have met the enemy and he is us, Senator Heinz recently suggested, Now it appears we have met the enemy, and he sounds like one of us, but we have no idea who he really is.' Concerned about the effects of foreign influence on the American government and the American public, Senator Heinz has proposed amendments to the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 19382 (FARA). FARA attempts to prevent advocates of foreign interests from mis- leading the American government and the public.3 It requires certain agents representing foreign interests to register with the Department of Justice and to disclose their activities. FARA requires people dissemi- nating foreign propaganda to indicate the source of the material. The Act neither prohibits representation of foreign interests in the United States nor prevents dissemination of foreign propaganda. Rather, the Act focuses the spotlight of pitiless publicity on the foreign agency effort, allowing the American public to fairly assess the information, fully aware of its origin.4 Originally, Congress intended FARA to uncover Nazi and Commu- nist subversive activity in the 1930s and 1940s.5 In 1966, Congress expanded FARA to monitor foreign agent activity which attempted to 1. 134 CONG. REC. S14,925 (daily ed. Oct. 6, 1988) (statement of Sen. Heinz). 2. Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938, ch. 327, 52 Stat. 631 (codified as amended at 22 U.S.C. §§ 611-621 (1982)). 3. FARA's purpose was clearly stated in a 1942 amendment to the Act: It is hereby declared to be the policy and purpose of this Act to protect the national defense, internal security, and foreign relations of the United States by requiring public disclosure by persons engaging in propaganda activities and other activities for or on behalf of foreign governments, foreign political parties, and other foreign principals so that the Government and the people of the United States may be informed of the identity of such persons and may appraise their statements and actions in the light of their associations and activities. Act of Apr. 29, 1942, ch. 263, 56 Stat. 248-49 (current version at 22 U.S.C. § 611 note (1982)). See generally J. PATrISON & J. TAYLOR, THE REGISTRATION OF FOREIGN AGENTS IN THE UNITED STATES: A PRACTICAL AND LEGAL GUIDE 15-40 (1981) (detailed discussion of Act's purpose and legislative history). 4. CONG. RES. SERVICE, 95TH CONG., IST SESS., THE FOREIGN AGENTS REGISTRA- TION ACT I (Comm. Print 1977) [hereinafter CRS REPORT]. 5. J. PATrisON &J. TAYLOR, supra note 3, at 18-19 (1981). 23 CORNELL INT'L LJ. 133 (1990)

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