An Act to provide for the promotion and strengthening of international relations through cultural and athletic exchanges and participation in international fairs and festivals
PL 84-860 (S.3116), enacted 08/01/1956

778 
PUBLIC LAW 860-AUG. 1, 1956 
[70 S T A T . 
August 1, 1956 
[S. 3116] 
Public Law 860 
CHAPTER 811 
AN ACT 
To provide for the promotion and strengthening of international relations 
through cultural and athletic exchanges and participation in international 
fairs and festivals. 
Int ern at 1 onal 
Cultural Exchange 
and Trade Fair Par-
ticipation A c t of 
1956. 
Purpose. 
C o m m i s si oner 
General. 
60 Stat. 999. 
Participation en-
couraged. 
Appropriation. 
62 Stat. 11. 
22 u s e 
1 4 7 1-
1473. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That this Act may 
be cited as the "International Cultural Exchange and Trade Fair 
Participation Act of 1956". 
SEC. 2. The purpose of this Act is to strengthen the ties which unite 
us with other nations by demonstrating the cultural interests, devel-
opments, and achievements of the people of the United States, and the 
contributions being made by the United States economic and social 
system toward a peaceful and more fruitful life for its own people 
and other people throughout the world; and thus to assist in the 
development of friendly, sympathetic, and peaceful relations between 
the United States and the other countries of the world. 
SEC. 3. The President is authorized to provide for— 
(1) tours in countries abroad by creative and performing 
artists and athletes from the United States, individually and in 
groups, representing any field of the arts, sports, or any otner form 
of cultural attainment; 
(2) United States representation in artistic, dramatic, musical, 
sports, and other cultural festivals, competitions, and like exhibi-
tions abroad; 
(3) United States participation in international fairs and expo-
sitions abroad, including trade and industrial fairs and other pub-
lic or private demonstrations of United States industrial accom-
plishments and cultural attainments: Provided^ That in order to 
appropriately represent the United States in connection with par-
ticipation in the Brussels Universal and International Exhibition 
to be held at Brussels, Belgium, in 1958, the President is author-
ized to appoint or designate a Commissioner General, by and with 
the advice and consent of the Senate, and not to exceed two other 
principal representatives, who shall receive compensation, allow-
ances, and benefits as determined by the President but not in 
excess of that received by a chief of mission at a class 2 post, 
pursuant to the Foreign Service Act of 1946, as amended (22 
U. S. C. 801) : Provided further^ That no officer of the United 
States Government who is designated under the foregoing proviso 
as Commissioner General or as a principal representative shall 
be entitled to receive such compensation; and 
(4) publicity and promotion (including representation) abroad 
of activities of the type provided for herein. 
SEC. 4. To the maximum extent feasible (1) private individuals, 
firms, associations, agencies, and other groups shall be encouraged to 
make contributions of funds, property, and services (which shall be 
available to carry out this Act) and otherwise to participate in carry-
ing out this Act, and (2) funds appropriated pursuant to section 5 
shall be used to contribute toward meeting the expenses of activities 
carried out through normal private channels and by private means. 
SEC. 5. There are hereby authorized to be appropriated, to remain 
available until expended, such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
this Act. 
SEC. 6. In carrying out this Act, the provisions of title VIII of the 
United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 
may be utilized to the extent the President deems necessary. 
70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 860-AUG. 1, 1956 
779 
SEC. 7. The President is authorized to provide for all necessary 
expenditures involved in the selection, purchase, rental, construction, 
or other acquisition of exhibits and materials and equipment therefor, 
and the actual display thereof, including but not limited to costs of 
transportation, insurance, installation, safekeeping, and storage, 
maintenance and operation, rental of space, and dismantling. 
SEC. 8. Whenever the President determines it to be in furtherance 
of this Act, the functions authorized hereunder may be performed 
without regard to such provisions of law or limitations of authority 
regulating or relating to the making, performance, amendment, or 
modification of contracts, the acquisition and disposition of property, 
and the expenditure of Government funds, as he may specify. 
SEC. 9. The President shall transmit to the Congress reports cover-
ing each six months of operations under this Act. 
SEC. 10. (a) There is hereby created an Advisory Committee on the 
Arts (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Committee"), 
consisting of a Chairman selected by the United States Advisory 
Commission on Educational Exchange from among its membership 
and nine other members appointed by the Secretary of State. 
In 
making such appointments the Secretary of State shall give due con-
sideration to the recommendations for nomination submitted by lead-
ing national organizations in the major art fields. 
(b) The members of the Committee shall be individuals whose 
knowledge of or experience in, or whose profound interest in, one or 
more of the arts will enable them to assist the United States Advisory 
Commission on Educational Exchange, the President, and the Secre-
tary of State in performing the functions described in subsection (c) 
of this section. 
(c) The Committee shall— 
(1) advise and assist the United States Advisory Commission 
on Educational Exchange in the discharge of its responsibilities 
in the field of international educational exchange under the 
United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 
1948 as amended, with special reference to the role of the arts in 
such field; 
(2) advise, assist, and cooperate with such Commission in the 
discharge of responsibilities under the cultural presentations pro-
gram authorized by and financed under this Act, insofar as such 
program contributes directly or indirectly to the objectives of the 
United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 
1948, as amended; 
(3) advise the President in the discharge of his responsibilities 
under the cultural exchange program authorized by and financed 
under this Act; 
(4) advise the Secretary of State concerning cultural activities 
whenever the Secretary considers it necessary to enable him to 
formulate policies for carrying out the purposes of the United 
States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, co-
ordinating the exercise of its functions under this paragraph with 
the exercise of its functions under paragraph (1) of this sub-
section; and 
(5) provide such other advice and assistance in carrying out 
this Act as may be necessary or appropriate. 
(d) The term of office of each of the members of the Committee 
appointed by the Secretary of State shall be two years; except that 
the term of office of four of the members first appointed shall be one 
year. 
Expenditures. 
P e r f o r m a n c e of 
functions. 
Reports to Con-
gress. 
Advisory 
C o m -
mittee on the Ai-ts. 
Members. 
Duties. 
Term. 
780 
PUBLIC LiAW 861-AUG. 1, 1956 
[70 ST A T . 
Per diem. 
60 Stat. 808. 
69 Stat. 394. 
Interagency com-
mittees. 
Cultural program. 
(e) No member of the Committee shall receive any compensation 
for his services as such; but each such member shall be paid actual 
transportation expenses and paid in lieu of subsistence the per diem 
rates prescribed or established pursuant to section 5 of the Administra-
tive Expense Act of 1946, as amended (5 IT. S. C. 73b-2), while away 
from home in attendance at meetings of the Committee or in consulta-
tion with officials of the Government in carrying out the duties of the 
Committee. 
(f) Staft' and secretarial services for the Committee shall be pro-
vided by the departmental staft* of the United States Advisory Com-
mission* oii Educational Exchange, with the assistance of the Inter-
national Educational Exchange Service. 
SEC. 11. The President is authorized to create such interagency com-
mittees as in his judgment may be of assistance in carrying out the 
purpose of this Act. 
Such committees shall include individuals hav-
ing special knowledge and experience in the field of the cultural arts as 
well as individuals whose knowledge and experience in other fields 
will assist in carrying out the program established by this Act. 
The 
provisions of section 214 of the Act of May 3, 1945 (59 Stat. 134; 31 
IT. S. C , sec. 691), shall be applicable to any interagency committee 
created pursuant to this section. 
SEC. 12. The cultural program authorized by this Act should include, 
to the greatest extent possible, presentations and other activities in 
such major art fields as: music, drama, poetry, and dance; new writing 
and literature; architecture, landscape architecture, city and regional 
planning, civic art and design, historic preservation; housing, interior 
design and decoration, and urban renewal and redevelopment; paint-
ing, sculpture, graphic arts, and hand arts and crafts; motion pictures 
and photography; and radio and television. 
Approved August 1, 1966. 
Public Law 861 
CHAPTER 812 
«u.t 1,1956 
AN ACT 
^^' ^^°°^ 
To protect the integrity of grade certificates under the United States Grain 
Standards Act. 
U.S. Grain stand-
ards A c t , amend> 
ment. 
39 Stat. 485. 
Penalty for vio-
lations. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 9 of the 
United States Grain Standards Act (7 U. S. C. 85) is amended to 
read as follows: 
"SEC. 9. Any person who shall knowingly violate any of the pro-
visions of sections 4 or 7 of this Act, or any inspector licensed under 
this Act, or any person sampling grain for inspection under this Act, 
who shall knowingly inspect, grade, or sample improperly any grain 
which has been shipped or delivered for shipment m interstate or 
foreign commerce, or shall knowingly give any false or incorrect cer-
tificate of grade, or shall accept money or other consideration, directly 
or indirectly, for any neglect or improper performance of duty, and 
any person who shall improperly influence or attempt to improperly 
influence any such inspector or sampler in the performance of his 
duty, or shall knowingly or willfully cause, or attempt to cause, the 
issuance of a false or incorrect certificate of grade under this Act by 
deceptive loading, handling, or sampling of grain, or by submitting 
grain for inspection knowing that it has been so loaded, handled, or 
sampled, or by any other means, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and 
upon^ conviction thereof shall be fined not more than $1,000, or be 
imprisoned not more than one year, or both." 
Approved August 1, 1956.