December marked the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Coast Guard’s formal entry into the national intelligence community, although many had long perceived the Coast Guard as a de facto member. The Coast Guard began its long involvement with the work of intelligence in 1790. Tariffs imposed on goods imported to the United States, in order to raise revenue, caused lawless merchants to unload their cargoes at isolated locations to avoid paying the tariffs at customs houses in ports.