What year did the U.S. make imports read "made in" vrs just the countrys name the item was manfactured in?

Question

I know this date was early in the 1900's. For example: On some older dishes the mfg. mark says Japan or Germany.Then a law was passed for all imports to read Made in Japan or Made in Germany. I don't know the exact year the law was passed?

Answer 1

Until the 1970s there was no law that the words "made in" be included. That was a trade standard. The manufacture vs import issue has been evolving since the 1920s. Until 2002, many finished goods could legitimately claim "made in the USA" as long as the final assembly took place here. Everything on the piece might have been from Honduras or Bangladesh, but if the hem was sewn in NC, it was fair game to say "made in the USA". The first Bush Admin closed that loophole.