Word: tourists
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...record 3,000,000 Americans expected to go overseas this year, very few will run afoul of foreign laws. Those who do can expect fair treatment, even in many Communist countries. Everywhere, the troubled tourist's best friend is the U.S. consul, reachable from remote places by wiring "Amconsul" in the nearest large city. Today, the consul negotiates from strength-no one wants to discourage a mounting influx of U.S. tourist dollars...
Despite these consolations, the rare American who winds up in a foreign jail cannot expect to lean on the U.S. Constitution. Every tourist is subject to the laws of the land in which he travels. All his consul can do is see to it that he gets the same legal treatment as any citizen of that country. Among the legal pitfalls most likely to face U.S. tourists...
...FRANCE. U.S. officials report full cooperation from the police and the courts, but France's Napoleonic Code is filled with dusty laws that may trip the unwary. A tourist's U.S. drugs may be confiscated, for example, because the law bans the import of prescription drugs available in France. Frenchmen who have become U.S. citizens are in trouble if they revisit France:* they can be jailed for draft dodging, forced to serve 18 months in the army. In Gaullist France, all tourists are well advised to repress political opinions. Under an 1881 law, insulting heads of state, even...
...ITALY. All foreigners must register with the Italian police (or let their hotel do it) within three days of arrival, and it is wise to carry identity papers at all times. On the whole, though, Italy is a tourist's legal paradise. Customs officials are inclined to overlook illegal liquor and cigarettes (more than two botties or two cartons); a 90-day stay can be extended in minutes; an expired passport gets a 48-hour grace period; traffic cops beam at addled tourists and dole out multilingual warning notes rather than parking tickets. Even disorderly tourists get breaks unknown...
...SPAIN. Despite its seasonal fiesta spirit, Spain is often harsh about dress or conduct that offends its moral sensibilities. Overexposure in cities, for example, can bring quick arrest. Drunken or boisterous visitors may find themselves barred from Spain indefinitely. For minor tourist crimes, Spanish courts usually recommend deportation. There are no juries, and judges can be tough on foreigners accused of illegally exporting art objects, leaving the scene of an accident, or failing to pay a hotel bill, to say nothing of criticizing Franco. Accused tourists should forget trying to skip the country. Spanish police are quite efficient. Happily, this...