§ 4305. Property of foreign missions

(a) Proposed acquisition, sale, or other disposition

(1) The Secretary shall require any foreign mission, including any mission to an international organization (as defined in section 4309 (b)(2) of this title), to notify the Secretary prior to any proposed acquisition, or any proposed sale or other disposition, of any real property by or on behalf of such mission. The foreign mission (or other party acting on behalf of the foreign mission) may initiate or execute any contract, proceeding, application, or other action required for the proposed action—

(A) only after the expiration of the 60-day period beginning on the date of such notification (or after the expiration of such shorter period as the Secretary may specify in a given case); and

(B) only if the mission is not notified by the Secretary within that period that the proposal has been disapproved; however, the Secretary may include in such a notification such terms and conditions as the Secretary may determine appropriate in order to remove the disapproval.

(2) For purposes of this section, “acquisition” includes any acquisition or alteration of, or addition to, any real property or any change in the purpose for which real property is used by a foreign mission.

(b) Divesture

The Secretary may require any foreign mission to divest itself of, or forgo the use of, any real property determined by the Secretary—

(1) not to have been acquired in accordance with this section;

(2) to exceed limitations placed on real property available to a United States mission in the sending State; or

(3) where otherwise necessary to protect the interests of the United States.

(c) Cessation of diplomatic, consular, and other governmental activities in United States; protecting power or other agent; disposition of property

If a foreign mission has ceased conducting diplomatic, consular, and other governmental activities in the United States and has not designated a protecting power or other agent approved by the Secretary to be responsible for the property of that foreign mission, the Secretary—

(1) until the designation of a protecting power or other agent approved by the Secretary, may protect and preserve any property of that foreign mission; and

(2) may dispose of such property at such time as the Secretary may determine after the expiration of the one-year period beginning on the date that the foreign mission ceased those activities, and may remit to the sending State the net proceeds from such disposition.

(d) Protection from future hostile intelligence activities in United States

(1) After December 22, 1987, real property in the United States may not be acquired (by sale, lease, or other means) by or on behalf of the foreign mission of a foreign country described in paragraph (4) if, in the judgment of the Secretary of Defense (after consultation with the Secretary of State), the acquisition of that property might substantially improve the capability of that country to intercept communications involving United States Government diplomatic, military, or intelligence matters.

(2) After December 22, 1987, real property in the United States may not be acquired (by sale, lease, or other means) by or on behalf of the foreign mission of a foreign country described in paragraph (4) if, in the judgment of the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (after consultation with the Secretary of State), the acquisition of that property might substantially improve the capability of that country to engage in intelligence activities directed against the United States Government, other than the intelligence activities described in paragraph (1).

(3) The Secretary of State shall inform the Secretary of Defense and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation immediately upon notice being given pursuant to subsection (a) of this section of a proposed acquisition of real property by or on behalf of the foreign mission of a foreign country described in paragraph (4).

(4) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “foreign country” means—

(A) any country listed as a Communist country in section 2370 (f) of this title;

(B) any country determined by the Secretary of State, for purposes of section 2405(j) of the Appendix to title 50, to be a country which has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism; and

(C) any other country which engages in intelligence activities in the United States which are adverse to the national security interests of the United States.

(5) As used in this section, the term “substantially improve” shall not be construed to prevent the establishment of a foreign mission by a country which, on December 22, 1987—

(A) does not have a mission in the United States, or

(B) with respect to a city in the United States, did not maintain a mission in that city.

U.S. Code

§ 4305. Property of foreign missions