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50 USC § 3040 - Disclosure of foreign intelligence acquired in criminal investigations; notice of criminal investigations of foreign intelligence sources

---
identifier: "/us/usc/t50/s3040"
source: "usc"
legal_status: "official_prima_facie"
title: "50 USC § 3040 - Disclosure of foreign intelligence acquired in criminal investigations; notice of criminal investigations of foreign intelligence sources"
title_number: 50
title_name: "WAR AND NATIONAL DEFENSE"
section_number: "3040"
section_name: "Disclosure of foreign intelligence acquired in criminal investigations; notice of criminal investigations of foreign intelligence sources"
chapter_number: 44
chapter_name: "NATIONAL SECURITY"
subchapter_number: "I"
subchapter_name: "COORDINATION FOR NATIONAL SECURITY"
positive_law: false
currency: "119-84"
last_updated: "2026-04-21"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
source_credit: "(July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title I, § 105B, as added Pub. L. 107–56, title IX, § 905(a)(2), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 388; amended Pub. L. 108–458, title I, § 1071(a)(1)(G), (H), (2)(B), (C), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3689, 3690.)"
---

# § 3040. Disclosure of foreign intelligence acquired in criminal investigations; notice of criminal investigations of foreign intelligence sources

**(a)** **Disclosure of foreign intelligence**

**(1)** Except as otherwise provided by law and subject to paragraph (2), the Attorney General, or the head of any other department or agency of the Federal Government with law enforcement responsibilities, shall expeditiously disclose to the Director of National Intelligence, pursuant to guidelines developed by the Attorney General in consultation with the Director, foreign intelligence acquired by an element of the Department of Justice or an element of such department or agency, as the case may be, in the course of a criminal investigation.

**(2)** The Attorney General by regulation and in consultation with the Director may provide for exceptions to the applicability of paragraph (1) for one or more classes of foreign intelligence, or foreign intelligence with respect to one or more targets or matters, if the Attorney General determines that disclosure of such foreign intelligence under that paragraph would jeopardize an ongoing law enforcement investigation or impair other significant law enforcement interests.

**(b)** **Procedures for notice of criminal investigations** October 26, 2001

Not later than 180 days after , the Attorney General, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, shall develop guidelines to ensure that after receipt of a report from an element of the intelligence community of activity of a foreign intelligence source or potential foreign intelligence source that may warrant investigation as criminal activity, the Attorney General provides notice to the Director, within a reasonable period of time, of his intention to commence, or decline to commence, a criminal investigation of such activity.

**(c)** **Procedures** The Attorney General shall develop procedures for the administration of this section, including the disclosure of foreign intelligence by elements of the Department of Justice, and elements of other departments and agencies of the Federal Government, under subsection (a) and the provision of notice with respect to criminal investigations under subsection (b).

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**Source Credit**: (July 26, 1947, ch. 343, title I, § 105B, as added Pub. L. 107–56, title IX, § 905(a)(2), Oct. 26, 2001, 115 Stat. 388; amended Pub. L. 108–458, title I, § 1071(a)(1)(G), (H), (2)(B), (C), Dec. 17, 2004, 118 Stat. 3689, 3690.)

## Editorial Notes

### Codification

Section was formerly classified to  prior to editorial reclassification and renumbering as this section.

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 105B of , as added , , , which related to protection of operational files of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, was renumbered by subsequent acts and transferred. See .

### Amendments

2004—Subsec. (a)(1). , substituted “Director of National Intelligence” for “Director of Central Intelligence”.

Subsec. (a)(2). , struck out “of Central Intelligence” after “Director”.

Subsec. (b). , struck out “of Central Intelligence” after “notice to the Director”.

, substituted “with the Director of National Intelligence” for “with the Director of Central Intelligence”.

## Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date of 2004 Amendment

For Determination by President that amendment by  take effect on , see Memorandum of President of the United States, , 70 F.R. 23925, set out as a note under .

Amendment by  effective not later than six months after , except as otherwise expressly provided, see , set out in an Effective Date of 2004 Amendment; Transition Provisions note under .