An Act to extend certain civilian-internee and prisoner-of-war benefits under the War Claims Act of 1948, as amended, to civilian internees and American prisoners of war captured and held during the hostilities in Korea
PL 83-615 (H.R.9390), enacted 08/21/1954

68 
S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 615-AUG. 21, 1954 
759 
shall be deemed to have failed of selection within the meaning of sec-
tion 509 of the Ofl5.cer Personnel Act of 1947. 
SEC. 5. To the extent necessary to give effect to sections 2, 3, and 4, 
the Secretary of the Army shall adjust the dates of rank in permanent 
grade of the officers described therein. For an officer entered on the 
Army promotion list in the grade of lieutenant colonel under this Act 
or promoted to that grade under section 4 hereof, the date specified as 
the adjusted date of rank shall be considered as the beginning of a 
j)eriod of service under a permanent appointment in the grade of 
lieutenant colonel for the purposes of section 510 of the Officer Per-
sonnel Act of 1947 (61 Stat. 897; 10 U. S. C. 559d). 
SEC. 6. Nothing in this Act shall be construed as changing existing 
laws pertaining to the appointment and commissioning of Regular 
Army officers in the Judge Advocate General's Corps or to the status 
of the Judge Advocate General's Corps as a special branch of the 
Army. 
SEO. 7. No officer of the Judge Advocate General's Corps shall suffer 
a reduction in grade by reason of the enactment of this Act. 
An 
officer who, on the day prior to the effective date hereof, is a "deferred 
officer" within the meaning of section 509 of the Officer Personnel Act 
of 1947 shall not, by reason of any provision of this Act, cease to be a 
"deferred officer". 
SEC. 8. The second paragraph of section 247 of the Universal Mili-
tary Training and Service Act (formerly the Selective Service Act 
of 1948 (62 Stat. 643; 10 U. S. C. 65)) and the last sentence of section 
308 of the Army Organization Act of 1950 (64 Stat. 270; 10 U. S. C. 
61-1) are hereby repealed. 
SEC. 9. No retroactive pay or allowances shall accrue as a result of 
the enactment of this Act. 
SEO. 10. The Secretary of the Army, or such subordinate as he may 
designate, shall have authority to make all determinations necessary 
in the administration of this Act. 
SEC. 11. This Act shall become effective thirty days after the date 
of its enactment. 
Approved August 21, 1954. 
10 u s e S59c. 
10 u s e S59c. 
Repeals. 
Effective date. 
Public Law 615 
CHAPTER 784 
AN ACT 
To extend certain civilian-internee and prisoner-of-war benefits under the War 
Claims Act of 1948, as amended, to civilian internees and American prisoners 
of war captured and held during the hostilities in Korea. 
August 21, 1954 
[H. R. 9390] 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That (a) section 5 temiei^ind* PHS-
of the War Claims Act of 1948, as amended (50 App. U. S. C , sec. oners o
f war. 
2004), is hereby amended by adding the following new subsection uiesV*^" 
at the end thereof. 
62 stat. 1242. 
"(g) (1) As used in this subsection, the term 'civilian American 
citizens' means any person who, being then a citizen of the United 
States, was captured in Korea on or after June 25,1950, by any hostile 
force with which the Armed Forces of the United States were actually 
engaged in armed conflict subsequent to such date and prior to the date 
of enactment of this subsection, or who went into hiding in Korea in 
order to avoid capture or internment by any such hostile force; except 
(A) a person who at any time voluntarily, knowingly, and without 
duress, gave aid to or collaborated with or in any manner served any 
such hostile force, or (B) a regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or 
inducted member of the Armed Forces of the United States. 
760 
PUBLIC LAW 615-AUG. 21, 1954 
[68 S T A T . 
Detention bene-
fits. 
Rate. 
Entitlement. 
Certification for 
payment. 
Time for filing. 
Appropriation. 
62 Stat. 1242. 
s o u s e 
app. 
2004(a). 
66 Stat. 49. 
s o u s e 
app. 
2004(e). 
"(2) The Commission is authorized to receive and to determine, 
according to law, the amount and validity, and provide for the pay-
ment of any claim filed by, or on behalf of, any civilian American 
citizen for detention benefits for any period of time subsequent to 
June 25, 1950, during which he was held by any such hostile force as 
a prisoner, internee, hostage, or in any other capacity, or remained in 
hiding to avoid being captured or interned by any such hostile force. 
"(3) The detention benefit allowed to any person under the provi-
sions of paragraph (2) of this subsection shall be at the rate of $60 
for each calendar month during which such person was at least 
eighteen years of age and at the rate of $25 per month for each cal-
endar month during which such person was less than eighteen years 
of age. 
"(4) The detention benefits allowed under paragraph (2) of this 
subsection shall be allowed to the person entitled thereto, or, in the 
event of his death, only to the following persons: 
"(A) widow or husband if there is no child or children of the 
deceased; 
"(B) widow or dependent husband and child or children of the 
deceased, one-half to the widow or dependent husband and the 
other half to the child or children in equal shares; 
"(C) child or children of the deceased (in equal shares) if 
there is no widow or dependent husband. 
"(5) Any claim allowed by the Commission under this subsection 
shall be certified to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment out 
of funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection, and shall be paid 
by the Secretary of the Treasury to the person entitled thereto, except 
that where any person entitled to payment under this subsection is 
under any legal disability, payment may be made in accordance with 
the provisions of subsection (e) of this section. 
"(6) Each claim filed under this subsection must be filed not later 
than one year from whichever of the following dates last occurs: 
"(A) The date of enactment of this subsection; 
"(B) The date the civilian American citizen by whom the claim 
is filed returned to the jurisdiction of the United States; or 
"(C) The date upon which the Commission, at the request of 
a potentially eligible survivor, makes a determination that the 
civilian Amei-ican citizen has actually died or may be presumed to 
be dead, in the case of any civilian American citizen who lias not 
returned to the jurisdiction of the United States. 
The Commission shall complete its determinations with respect to 
each claim filed under this subsection at the earliest practicable date, 
but in no event later than one year after the date on which such claim 
was filed. 
"(7) (A) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such 
amounts as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this si;b-
section, including necessary administrative expenses. 
''(B) The Commission shall determine, from time to time, the 
share of its administrative expenses attributable to the performance 
of its functions under this subsection and make the appropriate adjust-
ments in its accounts, and determinations and adjustments nuide pur-
suant to this subparagraph shall be final and conclusive.'' 
(b) Subsection (a) of such section 5 is hereby amended by insert-
ing after the words "As used in'' the following: "subsections (b) and 
(c) Subsection (e) of such section 5 is hereby amended by insert-
ing after the words "under this section" the following: "(except under 
subsection (g))''. 
68 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 615-AUG. 21, 1954 
T6] 
SEC. 2, (a) The subsection (d) of section 6 of the War Chiims 
Act of 1948, as amended (50 App. U. S. C, sec. 2005), whicli was 
added to such section by Public Law 804, Eighty-seconcI Conoress, is 
hereby redesignated as subsection (f). 
(b) Such section 6 is hereby amended by inserting innnediately 
after the subsection (d) whicli was added to such section by Public 
Law 308, Eighty-second Congress, the following new subsection: 
"(e) (1) As used in this subsection the term 'prisoner of war' 
means any regularly appointed, enrolled, enlisted, or inducted member 
of the Armed Forces of the United States who was held as a prisoner 
of war for any period of time subsequent to June 25, 1950, by any 
hostile force with which the Armed Forces of the United States were 
actually engaged in armed conflict subsequent to such date and prior 
to the date of enactment of this subsection, except any such member 
who, at any time, voluntarily, knowingly, and without duress, gave 
aid to or collaborated with or in any manner served any such hostile 
force. 
"(2) The Commission is authorized to receive and to determine, 
according to law, the amount and validity, and provide for the pay-
ment of any claim filed by any prisoner of war for compensation for 
the failure of the hostile force by whicli he was held as a prisoner 
of war, or its agents, to furnish him the quantity or quality of food 
prescribed for prisoners of war under the terms of the Geneva Con-
vention of July 27, 1929. The compensation allowed to any prisoner 
of war under the provisions of this paragraph shall be at the rate of 
$1 for each day on which he was held as a prisoner of war and on 
which such hostile force, or its agents, failed to furnish him such 
quantity or quality of food. 
"(3) The Commission is authorized to receive and to determine, 
according to law, the amount and validity and provide for the pay-
ment of any claim filed by any prisoner of war for compensation— 
"(A) for the failure of the hostile force by which he was held 
as a prisoner of war, or its agents, to meet the conditions and 
requirements prescribed under title III, section III, of the 
Geneva Convention of July 27,1929, relating to labor of prisoners 
of war; or 
"(B) for inhumane treatment by the hostile force by which 
he was held, or its agents. 
The term 'inhumane treatment' 
as used herein shall include, but not be limited to, failure of 
such hostile force, or its agents, to meet the conditions and require-
ments of one or more of the provisions of articles 2, 3, 7, 10, 12, 
13, 21, 22, 54, 56, or 57 of the Geneva Convention of July 27, 
1929. 
Compensation shall be allowed to any prisoner of war under this 
paragraph at the rate of $1.50 per day for each day on which he 
was held as a prisoner of war and with respect to which he alleges 
and proves in a manner acceptable to the Commission the failure to 
meet the conditions and requirements described in subparagraph (A) 
or the inhumane treatment described in subparagraph (B). 
In no 
event shall the compensation allowed to any prisoner of war under 
this paragraph exceed the sum of $1.50 with respect to any one day. 
"(4) Any claim allowed by the Commission under this subsection 
shall be certified to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment out 
of funds appropriated pursuant to this subsection and shall be paid 
by the Secretary of the Treasury to the person entitled thereto, and 
shall, in case of death or determination of death of the persons who 
are entitled, be paid only to or for the benefit of the persons specified, 
and in the order established, by paragraph (4) of subsection (d) 
of this section. 
66 Stat. 49. 
Prisoners of war. 
66 Stat. 47. 
Co mpensat ion, 
47 Stat. 2021. 
4 7 Stat. 2040. 
4 7 S t a t . 2031-
2050, 
passim. 
Certification for 
payment. 
66 Stat. 4 7. 
s o u s e 
app. 
200S(d). 
T62 
PUBLIC LAW 616-AUG. 21, 1954 
[68 S 
T A T . 
Time for filing. 
Appropriation. 
Adm ini st rati ve 
expenses. 
Adjustments. 
62 Stat. 1240; 64 
Stat. 449. 
62 Stat. 1241. 
s o u s e 
app. 
2001. 
"(5) Each claim filed under this subsection must be filed not later 
than one year from whichever of the following dates last occurs: 
"(A) The date of enactment of this subsection; 
•'(B) The date the prisoner of war by Avhom the claim is filed 
returned to the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the United 
States; or 
"(C) The date upon which the Department of Defense makes 
a determination that the prisoner of war has actually died or is 
presumed to be dead, in the case of any prisoner of war who has 
not returned to the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces of the 
United States. 
The Commission shall complete its determinations with respect to each 
claim filed under this subsection at the earliest practicable date, but 
in no event later than one year after the date on which such claim was 
filed. 
"(G) Any claim allowed under the provisions of this subsection 
shall be paid from funds appropriated pursuant to paragraph (7) of 
this subsection. 
"(7) (A) There are hereby authorized to be appropriated such 
amounts as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this sub-
section, including necessary administrative expenses. 
"(B) The Commission shall determine, from time to time, the share 
of its administrative expenses attributable to the performance of its 
functions under this subsection and make the appropriate adjustments 
in its accounts, and determinations and adjustments made pursuant to 
this subparagraph shall be final and conclusive." 
SEC. 3. (a) Subsections (a) and (e) of section 2 of the War Claims 
Act of 1948, as amended (50 App. U. S. C, Sec. 2001), are hereby 
repealed, and subsections (b), (c), and (d) of such section are hereby 
redesignated as subsections (a), (b), and (c), respectively. 
(b) The first sentence of the subsection herein redesignated as sub-
section (a) is hereby amended by striking out "The Commission" and 
inserting m lieu thereof the following: "The Foreign Claims Settle-
ment Commission of the United States (hereinafter referred to as the 
^Commission')". 
Approved August 21, 1954. 
AiiKust 21, 1954 
[H. R. 9889] 
Public Law 616 
CHAPTER 785 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to execute an amendatory contract 
with American Falls Reservoir District Numbered 2, Idaho, and for other 
purposes. 
American F a l l s 
R e s e r v o i r Dis-
trict No. 2, Idaho. 
Repeal. 
Su p pie tn e n t ary 
law. 
Be it enafited hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the Secre-
tary of the Interior is authorized to execute on behalf of the United 
States the amendatory contract with American Falls Reservoir Dis-
trict Numbered 2, Idaho, negotiated pursuant to section 7 of the 
Reclamation Project Act of 1939 (53 Stat. 1187, 1192; 43 U. S. C , 
1946 edition, sec. 485f), and approved by the district's electors on 
June 29,1954. 
SEC. 2. All beginning with the first '•''Provided'''^ under the sub-
heading "Minidoka project, American Falls Reservoir, Idaho" under 
the heading "Bureau of Reclamation" of the Act of January 12, 1927 
(44 Stat. 934, 958), is hereby repealed. 
SEC. 3. This Act is declared to be a supplement to the Federal 
Reclamation Laws. 
Approved August 21, 1954.