An Act to provide for the naturalization of persons serving in the Armed Forces of the United States after June 24, 1950
PL 83-86 (H.R.4233), enacted 06/30/1953

108 
PUBLIC LAW 86-JUNE 30, 1953 
[67 S T A T . 
56 Stat. 193, 
31 Stat. 1197. 
REFUSAL TO GIVE TESTIMONY 
SEC. 409. (a) Any officer or employee of the District who refuses to 
testify upon matters relating to his office or employment in any 
proceeding wherein he is a defendant or is called as a witness, upon 
the ground that his answer may tend to incriminate him or compel 
him to be a witness against himself, or who refuses so to testify on 
such ground when called by a grand jury or a congressional committee, 
shall forfeit his office or employment and any emolument, perquisite, 
or benefit (by way of pension or otherwise) arising therefrom, and 
be disqualified frbm holding any public office or employment under 
the District. 
(b) Any former officer or emi)loyee of the District who refuses to 
testify upon matters relating to his former office or employment in any 
proceeding wherein he is a defendant or is called as a witness, upon 
the ground that his answer may tend to incriminate him or compel 
him to be a witness against himself, or who refuses so to testify on such 
ground when called by a grand jury or a congressional committee, 
shall forfeit any emolument, perquisite, or benefit (by way of pension 
or otherwise) arising from such former office or employment, and be 
disqualified from holding any public office or employment under the 
District. 
(c) If the retirement pay, pension, or annuity of any officer or 
employee or former officer or employee of the District is forfeited 
under this section, there shall be paid to such individual a sum equal 
to (1) the total amount paid by him as contributions toward such 
retirement pay, pension, or annuity, plus any accrued interest attrib-
utable to such contributions, less (2) the total amount of such retire-
ment pay, pension, or annuity received by him prior to such forfeiture. 
CONTEMPT OF THE MUNICIPAL COURT 
SEC. 410. (a) Section 5 (c) of the Act of April 1,1942, as amended 
(D. C. Code, sec. 11-756 (c)), is amended by inserting before "to 
punish" the following: "in any case or proceeding, whether civil or 
criminal,". 
(b) The first sentence of section 48 of the Act entitled "An Act 
to establish a code of law for the District of Columbia", approved 
March 3, 1901, as amended (D. C. Code, sec. 11-606), is amended by 
striking out "; to punish contempts by fine not exceeding twenty 
dollars and imprisonment for not more than forty-eight hours, or 
either, and" and inserting in lieu thereof a comma. 
E F F E C T O F REORGANIZATION PLAN NUMBERED 5 
66 Stat. 824. 
SEC. 411. Where any provision of this Act, or any amendment 
jnade by this Act, refers to an office or agency abolished by Reorgan-
ization Plan Numbered 5 of 1952, such reference shall be deemed to 
be to the office, agency, or officer exercising the functions of the office 
or agency so abolished. 
Approved June 29, 1953. 
June 30, 1953 
[H. R. 4233] 
Naturalization. 
Public Law 86 
CHAPTER 162 
AN ACT 
To provide for the naturalization of persons serving in the Armed Forces of the 
United States after June 24, 1950. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assemhled^ That, notwithstand-
67 STAT.] 
PUBLIC LAW 86-JUNE 30, 1953 
109 
ing the provisions of sections 310 (d) and 318 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, any person, not a citizen, who, after June 24,1950, and 
not later than July 1,1955, has actively served or actively serves, hon-
orably, in the Armed Forces of the United States for a period or 
periods totaling not less than ninety days and who (1) having been 
lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence, or 
(2) having been lawfully admitted to the United States, and having 
been physically present within the United States for a single period 
of at least one year at the time of entering the Armed Forces, may be 
naturalized on petition filed not later than December 31, 1955, upon 
compliance with all the requirements of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act, except that— 
(a) he may be naturalized regardless of age; 
(b) no period of residence or specified period of physical 
presence within the United States or any State after entering the 
Armed Forces shall be required: Provided^ That there shall be 
included in the petition the affidavits of at least two credible 
witnesses, citizens of the United States, stating that each such 
witness personally knows the petitioner to be a person of good 
moral character, attached to the principles of the Constitution of 
the United States and well disposed to the good order and happi-
ness of the United States; 
(c) the petition for naturalization may be filed in any court 
having naturalization jurisdiction regardless of the residence of 
the petitioner; 
(d) notwithstanding section 336 (c) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act, the petitioner may be naturalized immediately 
if prior to the filing of the petition, the petitioner and the wit-
nesses shall have appeared before and been examined by a repre-
sentative of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and 
(e) no fee, except that which may be required by State law, 
shall be charged or collected for making, filing, or docketing the 
petition for naturalization, or for the final hearing thereon, or 
for the certificate of naturalization, if issued. 
Service in the Armed Forces of the United States may be proved by 
a duly authenticated copy of the record of the executive or military 
department having custody of the record of the petitioner's service, 
showing that the petitioner is or was during the period or periods 
hereinbefore described a member serving actively and honorably in 
such forces and, if separated from such service, that he was not 
separated under other than honorable conditions; or may be proved 
by affidavits, forming part of the petition, of at least two citizens 
of the United States, members of the Armed Forces of the United 
States, of the noncommissioned or warrant officer grade or higher 
(who may also be the witnesses described in subsection (b) of this 
section) : Provided, however^ That no period of service in the Armed 
Forces of the United States shall be made the basis of a petition for 
naturalization under this Act if the applicant has previously been 
naturalized on the basis of the same period of service. 
SEC. 2. Any person entitled to naturalization under section 1 of 
this Act may be naturalized while serving outside the jurisdiction 
of any naturalization court, upon compliance with applicable provi-
sions of that section without appearing before any such court. 
The 
petition for naturalization of any such person shall be made and 
sworn to before, and filed with a representative of the Immigration 
and Naturalization Service designated by the Attorney General, which 
representative is hereby authorized to receive such petition, to con-
duct hearings thereon, to take testimony concerning any matter touch-
ing or in any way affecting the admissibility of such person for natu-
N o n c i t i z e n s i n 
Armed Forces. 
66 Stat. 239, 244. 
8 U S C 142 1, 
1429. 
66 Stat. 163. 
8 u s e 1101 note. 
66 Stat. 257. 
8 u s e 1447. 
Proof of service. 
Persons serving 
o u t s i d e court's 
jurisdiction. 
27000 O - 53 - 10 
110 
PUBLIC LAW 87-JUNE 30, 1953 
[67 S T A T . 
66 Stat. 258. 
8 u s e 1448. 
Restrictions. 
66 Stat. 260. 
8 use 1451. 
66 Stat. 250. 
8 use 1440. 
ralization, to call witnesses, to administer oaths, including the oath 
of the petitioner and his witnesses to the petition and the oath 
prescribed by section 337 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
and to grant naturalization and to issue certificates of naturalization: 
Provided^ That the record of any proceedings hereunder shall be for-
warded to and filed by the clerk of a naturalization court in the dis-
trict designated by the petitioner and made a part of the record of 
such court. 
SEC. 3. Any person otherwise qualified for naturalization pursuant 
to section 1 or 2 of this Act who is or has been discharged under other 
than honorable conditions from the Armed Forces of the United 
States, or is discharged therefrom pursuant to an application for 
discharge made by him on the ground that he is an alien, or who is 
a conscientious objector who performs or performed no military duty 
whatever or refused to wear the uniform, shall not be entitled 
to the benefits of such section 1 or 2 of this Act: Provided, That citi-
zenship granted pursuant to section 1 or 2 of this Act may be revoked 
in accordance with section 340 of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act if at any time subsequent to naturalization the person is separated 
from the Armed Forces of the United States under other than honor-
able conditions, and such ground for revocation shall be in addition 
to any other provided by law: Provided further, That for the pur-
poses of section 340 (f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 
revocation on such ground shall be classified with revocatory action 
based on section 329 (c) of that Act. 
The fact that the naturalized 
person was separated from the service under other than honorable 
conditions shall be proved by a duly authenticated certification from 
the executive or military department under which the person was 
serving at the time of separation. 
SEC. 4. When used in this Act, the term "United States" means the 
continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 
the Virgin Islands of the United States. 
Approved June 30, 1953. 
June 30, 1953 
CS. J. Res. 88] 
Public Law 87 
CHAPTER 163 
JOINT RESOLUTION 
To authorize the Secretary of Commerce to extend certain charters of vessels 
to citizens of the Republic of the Philippines, and for other purposes. 
Philippines, 
eharters of ves-
sels. 
60 Stat. 137. 
50 u s e 1786. 
66 Stat. 65. 
Resolved hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of existing law, the Secretary of Commerce is author-
ized to extend and continue the present charters of vessels to citizens 
of the Republic of the Philippines, which charters were made and 
entered into under the terms of section 306 (a) of the Act of April 
30, 1946 (Public Law 370, Seventy-ninth Congress), and which char-
ters were extended by the Secretary of Commerce under the terms of 
a joint resolution, approved April 30,1952 (Public Law 327, Eighty-
second Congress). 
Such charters may be further extended for such 
periods of time and under such terms and conditions as the Secretary 
may, from time to time, determine to be required in the interest of the 
economy of the Philippines, but any such charter shall contain a 
provision requiring that the vessel shall be operated only in the inter-
island commerce in the Philippines. 
No such vessel shall be continued 
under charter, as authorized herein, beyond the completion of the 
first voyage terminating after June 30, 1954. 
Approved June 30, 1953.