Production of defective war material, war premises, or war utilities
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
(a) Whoever, when the United States is at war, or in times of national emergency as declared by the President or by the Congress, with intent to injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, or, with reason to believe that his act may injure, interfere with, or obstruct the United States or any associate nation in preparing for or carrying on the war or defense activities, makes, constructs, or causes to be made or constructed in a defective manner, or to make, construct, or cause to be made or constructed in a defective manner any war material, war premises or war utilities, or any tool, implement, machine, utensil, or receptacle used or employed in making, producing, manufacturing, or repairing any such war material, war premises or war utilities, shall be or imprisoned not more than thirty years, or both.
(b) If two or more persons conspire to violate this section, and one or more of such persons do any act to effect the object of the , each of the parties to such shall be punished as provided in subsection (a) of this section.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 799 (PDF, 39 MB); June 30, 1953, ch. 175, §2, 67 Stat. 133; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1261, title I, §103, 68 Stat. 1218; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 (PDF, 52 MB).)
Simplified explanation
During war or a declared national emergency, it is a federal crime to willfully make, or try to make, defective war materials, facilities, utilities, or the tools used to make them, when intending (or having reason to believe) it will hurt U.S. or allied war or defense efforts.