In the latest round of the War On
Tourism Terrorism, the USA will now
require visitors to register online 3 days prior to entering the country. I'm guessing that the old system (in which tourists filled a card in on the plane and handed it in at immigration) was letting in just too many terrorists or something. That certainly won't be a problem with the new system; the online registraion process will ask the visitor whether or not they're a terrorist, allowing Homeland Security agents to intercept terrorists (at least the less bright ones) before they leave the plane.
I'm in the process of getting a non-immigration visa to the US. What an amazing experience in two parts: the preparation and the interview. The paperwork is arduous (and yes, it includes the question you allude to). The website describing it is the worst-written I have ever seen, even worse than this sentence. It is not permitted to ask embassy staff for explanation, however you can *pay by the minute* for phone help. Then it costs to book an interview. You can only book online, using a system, a login to which costs separately. After these two costs there are three separate fees. There are three separate forms to fill in, whose questions overlap. Then you finally get to the interview. There is a long queue of people, all of whom were allotted the same time you paid for. There are *two sets* of electronic, shoes-off scanning processes *more complex* than at airports. You can't take watches, phones or keys beyond reception. If you forgot anything, or left it downstairs in your bag, you repeat all the scanning