United States. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms licenses U.S. wineries for operation and regulates the labeling of foreign and domestic wine and spirits.

Historically, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has been a tax-collecting, enforcement and regulatory arm of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Its duties related to alcohol included: approving labels and monitoring advertising; regulating labeling, marking, packaging, and branding of all domestic distilled spirits, wine and beer sold in the United States, and regulating production in the United States and the importations of all alcohol beverages, including distilled spirits, malt beverages, and wine. When the National Prohibition Act was passed, the Secretary of the Treasury created a new branch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue Service known as the Prohibition Unit. This unit was charged with the enforcement of the new law and the existing divisions of the Bureau of Internal Revenue dealing with the control of narcotics and industrial alcohol were transferred to it. On April 1, 1927, the Treasury moved the Prohibition Unit to bureau status within the department. On July 1, 1930 Congress transferred the penal provisions of the National Prohibition Act from the Treasury's Bureau of Prohibition to the Department of Justice's new Bureau of Prohibition. However, tax-related and regulatory activities remained at the Treasury, under a new Bureau of Industrial Alcohol. After the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, repealing Prohibition, was ratified in December 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA) by executive order under the National Industrial Recovery Act. In August 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act which replaced the FACA. The new FAA was assigned to the Treasury. On March 10, 1934 the Justice's Prohibition enforcement duties moved into the Alcohol Tax Unit (ATU), Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury. In 1940 the FAA as an Administration merged with the ATU.

Administrative History

Brief History of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, 1920-1950

Historically, the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has been a tax-collecting, enforcement and regulatory arm of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Its duties related to alcohol included: approving labels and monitoring advertising; regulating labeling, marking, packaging, and branding of all domestic distilled spirits, wine and beer sold in the United States, and regulating production in the United States and the importations of all alcohol beverages, including distilled spirits, malt beverages, and wine.

When the National Prohibition Act was passed, the Secretary of the Treasury created a new branch of the Bureau of Internal Revenue Service known as the Prohibition Unit. This unit was charged with the enforcement of the new law and the existing divisions of the Bureau of Internal Revenue dealing with the control of narcotics and industrial alcohol were transferred to it. On April 1, 1927, the Treasury moved the Prohibition Unit to bureau status within the department. On July 1, 1930 Congress transferred the penal provisions of the National Prohibition Act from the Treasury's Bureau of Prohibition to the Department of Justice's new Bureau of Prohibition. However, tax-related and regulatory activities remained at the Treasury, under a new Bureau of Industrial Alcohol.

After the Twenty-first Amendment to the Constitution, repealing Prohibition, was ratified in December 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt established the Federal Alcohol Control Administration (FACA) by executive order under the National Industrial Recovery Act. In August 1935, President Roosevelt signed the Federal Alcohol Administration (FAA) Act which replaced the FACA. The new FAA was assigned to the Treasury.

On March 10, 1934 the Justice's Prohibition enforcement duties moved into the Alcohol Tax Unit (ATU), Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury. In 1940 the FAA as an Administration merged with the ATU.

Sources:

A Historical Guide to the U.S. Government. Edited by George Thomas Kurian. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Schmeckebier, Laurence Frederick. The Bureau of Prohibition: Its History, Activities, and Organization. [New York, AMS Press, 1974].