22 U.S.C. § 1621
Section 1621 · Definitions
Amended 2 times on record
Applied in 24 court decisions — leading case Dames & Moore v. Regan (1981)
Most recently applied in Havana Docks Corporation v. Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. (October 2024)
How often courts cite this section
Court decisions citing this, by year.Markers show enactment, consequential amendments, and circuit splits over this section — watch for a citation surge after a change or a disagreement. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.
For the purposes of this subchapter—
(a) The term “person” shall include an individual, partnership, corporation, or the Government of the United States.
(b) The term “United States” when used in a geographical sense shall include the United States, its Territories and insular possessions, and the Canal Zone.
(c) The term “nationals of the United States” includes (1) persons who are citizens of the United States, and (2) persons who, though not citizens of the United States, owe permanent allegiance to the United States. It does not include aliens.
(d) The term “Yugoslav Claims Agreement of 1948” means the agreement between the Governments of the United States of America and of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia regarding pecuniary claims of the United States and its nationals, signed July 19, 1948.
Editorial notes U.S. Code · Office of the Law Revision Counsel
References in Text
For definition of Canal Zone, referred to in subsec. (b), see section 3602(b) of this title.
Amendments
1955—Act Aug. 9, 1955, §1, amended credit to section by designating act Mar. 10, 1950, as “title I”.
Act Aug. 9, 1955, §2, substituted “subchapter” for “chapter” in opening phrase.
Short Title
Section 1 of act Mar. 10, 1950, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘International Claims Settlement Act of 1949’.”
Titles of Act
Sections 1 and 3 of act Aug. 9, 1955, designated sections 1621 to 1627 of this title as “Title I” of act Mar. 10, 1950, which is classified to subchapter I of this chapter and added “Title II—Vesting and Liquidation of Bulgarian, Hungarian, and Rumanian Property” and “Title III—Claims Against Bulgaria, Hungary, Rumania, Italy, and the Soviet Union”, which are classified to subchapters II and III, respectively, of this chapter. Pub. L. 85–604 added Title IV, Claims Against Czechoslovakia, which is classified to subchapter IV of this chapter. Pub. L. 88–666 added Title V, Claims Against Cuba and China, which is classified to subchapter V of this chapter. Pub. L. 94–542 added Title VI, Claims Against German Democratic Republic, which is classified to subchapter VI of this chapter. Pub. L. 96–606 added Title VII, Claims Against Vietnam, which is classified to subchapter VII of this chapter.
Abolition of International Claims Commission and Transfer of Functions
International Claims Commission of the United States, including offices of its members, abolished and functions of Commission and of members, officers, and employees thereof transferred to Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States by Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1954, §§2, 4, eff. July 1, 1954, 19 F.R. 3985, 68 Stat. 1279, set out as a note under section 1622 of this title.
Appropriations
Section 9 of act Mar. 10, 1950, provided that: “There is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as may be necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its functions under this Act [enacting this chapter].”