Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917

The United States declared war on Germany on April 6, 1917. TWEA was enacted on October 6, 1917. By executive order on October 12, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson created the War Trade Board under Vance McCormick, with the authority to control all US imports and exports. This sought to conserve supplies and shipping for Allied use, and prevent goods from arriving in enemy hands by, for example, restricting supplies to Germany's neutral trading partners. On October 22, 1917, by Executive Order 2729-A he also created the Office of Alien Property Custodian (APC) under TWEA with power to confiscate property from anyone whose actions might be considered a possible threat to the war effort. Initially, the Custodian confiscated the property of interned natives of Germany and of businesses, such as the Bayer chemical company. On December 7, 1917, the United States declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the other Central Powers. In 1933, newly-elected President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Proclamation 2039, which declared a national emergency and imposed a bank holiday. The proclamation cited TWEA (obliquely referenced as the "Act of October 6, 1917") as the basis of his authority. Aware that such action was legally dubious since the United States was not at war, Roosevelt asked Congress to ratify his actions by passing the Emergency Banking Relief Act, which amended TWEA to enable its use during any "period of national emergency declared by the President." President Franklin D. Roosevelt, using these new authorities, issued Executive Order 6102 to limit gold ownership. These restrictions continued until January 1, 1975. The TWEA has been amended several other times. During and after both World Wars, property frozen by the United States, belonging to neutral or allied nations, was returned and property belonging to enemy nations was continuously confiscated until hostilities ceased. Some of the confiscated enemy property would not be returned later. Agreements to return some or most assets in exchange for seized American assets and reparations for war-damaged American interests by the new governments of the former enemy nations were later concluded. Nations or organizations that were deemed less responsible for starting the wars receive much more favorable treatment. The United States instituted the Italian Enemy Act of 1947 to deal with former members of the Mussolini regime from controlling interest in U.S. based businesses under the TWEA Act of 1917. On December 16, 1950, the United States imposed economic sanctions against North Korea under TWEA, which lasted until 2008. On August 15, 1971, President Richard M. Nixon issued Proclamation 4074, which declared a national emergency under TWEA and imposed a 10% ad valorem supplemental duty on all dutiable articles imported into the United States. == Countries sanctioned under the Trading with the Enemy Act ==

Albania Albania was invaded by the Central Powers during WWI. While the Central Powers occupied Albania, its assets from the areas they occupied were frozen to prevent the Central Powers from using Albanian assets. Because of this policy, once Central Powers occupation ended the sanctions were effectively lifted. During WWII, Albania was listed in 1941, to prevent its assets from being used first by the invading fascist Italy and then by the invading Nazi Germany, and was delisted in 1946. Andorra Andorra remained officially neutral during WWII. However, it was a tiny country between Axis-friendly Spain and the German puppet state Vichy France. Andorra was listed in 1941, to prevent its assets from being used by Nazi Germany and Vichy France, Cambodia Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime was sanctioned in 1975 as a result of the Vietnam War. Trading With the Enemy Act sanctions were lifted in 1992. China China was listed on two occasions. The Republic of China was first listed in 1941 to prevent invading Japan from using Chinese assets during WWII. China was delisted in 1946. Cuba Following the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and the nationalization of U.S. property by the Castro regime, the United States imposed sanctions on Cuba in 1963. Sanctions were lifted in 1946. However, North Korea later developed and tested several more nuclear weapons, indicating that it was lying. North Korea's designation was grandfathered from an old version of the law that allowed it to be used absent a declaration of war. Because there is no declaration of war in force between the United States and North Korea, TWEA sanctions cannot be reapplied, but it was re-sanctioned for reneging on its commitments through the IEEPA, along with other laws, and through UN Security Council resolutions. North Vietnam North Vietnam was sanctioned in 1964 during the Vietnam War. They remained sanctioned after their defeat by signing the Mudros Armistice in 1918 until their dissolution with the later-to-be revoked Peace Treaty of Sèvres in 1921 after which sanctions were no longer in effect. The Americans were not directly involved in the Turkish War of Independence which followed the signing of Sèvres, nor did the USA implement any official sanctions, but it supported Entente and Greek forces. Many US Congressmen later unofficially criticised the Lausanne Declaration Treaty that followed the independence war, and proclaimed it invalid, rejecting it by still supporting the post-European and colonial claims on Turkish lands in the Balkans and Anatolia. These rejections were later disregarded, and the United States of America formally established normal and friendly relations with the newly-established modern, and more Western-sided, Turkish Republic in 1927. The new Republic of Turkey was not affected by any American or Allied sanctions any longer, neither shortly after the end of the Independence War and the signing of the Lausanne Treaty nor during WWII. Poland Poland was listed in 1941 to prevent its assets from being used by the invading Nazi Germany. Portugal was delisted in 1948. In 1971 Nixon used the TWEA for currency manipulation in an attempt to boost US exports. Vietnam The Socialist Republic of Vietnam was sanctioned in 1975 as a result of the Vietnam War. Yugoslavia Yugoslavia was listed in 1941 to prevent assets from being used by the invading Nazi Germany. Yugoslavia was delisted in 1946. ==See also==