indian towing argued february decided november coast guard negligent operation lighthouse damage caused thereby liable tort claims act pp language imposing liability manner extent private individual like circumstances read excluding liability negligent conduct operation enterprise private persons engaged pp tort claims act impliedly incorporate distinction governmental functions caused confusion law municipal liability torts pp coast guard exercised discretion operate lighthouse certain place obligated use due care make certain light kept good working order light becomes extinguished coast guard obligated use due care discover fact repair light give warning functioning feres dalehite distinguished richard montgomery argued cause petitioners brief cicero sessions lester jayson argued cause brief solicitor general sobeloff assistant attorney general burger paul sweeney justice frankfurter delivered opinion petitioners brought suit district southern district mississippi seeking recovery federal tort claims act damages alleged caused negligence coast guard operation lighthouse light alleged october tug navajo owned petitioner indian towing company towing barge chartered petitioner upper mississippi towing corporation barge loaded cargo triple super phosphate consigned petitioner minnesota farm bureau service company insured petitioner firemen insurance company tug navajo went aground chandeleur island result thereof sea water wetted damaged cargo extent consignee refused accept cargo petitioners indian towing company upper mississippi towing corporation therefore became responsible loss cargo loss paid petitioner firemen insurance company loan receipts complaint stated grounding navajo due solely failure light chandeleur island turn caused negligence coast guard specific acts negligence relied failure responsible coast guard personnel check battery sun relay system operated light failure chief petty officer checked lighthouse september make proper examination connections weather failure check light september october failure repair light give warning light operating petitioners also alleged loose connection discovered upon proper inspection motion respondent case transferred district eastern district louisiana new orleans division respondent moved dismiss ground consented sued manner suit brought petitioners relief suits admiralty act stat public vessels act stat motion granted appeals fifth circuit affirmed per curiam case presented important aspect still undetermined extent government liability federal tort claims act granted certiorari judgment appeals affirmed equally divided petition rehearing granted earlier judgment vacated case restored docket reargument full bench relevant provisions federal tort claims act district courts shall exclusive jurisdiction civil actions claims money damages accruing january injury loss property personal injury death caused negligent wrongful act omission employee government acting within scope office employment circumstances private person liable claimant accordance law place act omission occurred shall liable manner extent private individual like circumstances shall liable interest prior judgment punitive damages provisions chapter section title shall apply claim based upon act omission employee government exercising due care execution statute regulation whether statute regulation valid based upon exercise performance failure exercise perform discretionary function duty part federal agency employee government whether discretion involved abused furthermore government effect reads statute imposing liability manner municipal corporation private person thus push courts governmental quagmire long plagued law municipal corporations comparative study cases disclose irreconcilable conflict decisions disharmonious disclose inevitable chaos courts try apply rule law inherently unsound fact matter theory whereby municipalities made amenable liability endeavor however awkward contradictory escape basic historical doctrine sovereign immunity federal tort claims act cuts ground doctrine covertly embedding casuistries municipal liability torts government disavows blanket exemption liability official conduct furthering uniquely governmental activity way claim recovery based negligent performance activity particular governmental activity let us suppose chief petty officer going coast guard car inspect light chandeleur island first negligently ran pedestrian later inspecting light negligently tripped wire injured someone else forgot inspect outside connection night patently defective connection broke light failed causing ship go aground cargo triple super phosphate get wet finally chief petty officer way lighthouse touched key uninsulated wire see carrying current spark produced caused fire sank nearby barge carrying triple super phosphate government theory acts negligence actionable rational ground one carry conviction minds grip technical obscurities difference result acts different time place done furtherance officer task inspecting lighthouse furtherance coast guard task operating light chandeleur island moreover permit operation private lighthouses inconceivable government basis differentiation gone negligence charged case actionable yet change character government activity places operated lighthouse attributing bizarre motives congress hold predicating liability completely fortuitous circumstance presence absence identical private activity area liability circumscribed certain provisions federal tort claims act see government activity inescapably uniquely governmental performed government case federal crop insurance corporation wholly enterprise sought held liable policy theory private insurance company liable situation stated government partly public partly private depending upon governmental pedigree type particular activity manner government conducts federal crop insurance merrill hand hard think governmental activity operational level present concern uniquely governmental sense kind one time another conceivably privately performed nothing tort claims act shows congress intended draw distinctions finespun capricious almost incapable held mind adequate formulation statute product nearly thirty years congressional consideration drawn numerous substantive limitations administrative safeguards substantive limitations see administrative safeguards see statute limitations denial trial jury administrative adjustment claims less reports congress liability punitive damages interest prior judgment disposition federal agency prerequisite suit claim filed compromise exclusiveness remedy language statute support government argument loose general statements legislative history government points seem directed mainly toward discretionary function exemption persuasive broad purpose statute designed effect compensate victims negligence conduct governmental activities circumstances like unto private person liable leave treatment caprice legislative burden individual private laws course dealing statute subjecting government liability potentially great sums money must promote profligacy careless construction neither guardian treasury import immunity back statute designed limit coast guard need undertake lighthouse service exercised discretion operate light chandeleur island engendered reliance guidance afforded light obligated use due care make certain light kept good working order light become extinguished coast guard obligated use due care discover fact repair light give warning functioning coast guard failed duty damage thereby caused petitioners liable tort claims act appeals fifth circuit considered feres dalehite controlling neither case applicable feres held government liable federal tort claims act injuries servicemen injuries arise course activity incident service without exception relationship military personnel government governed exclusively federal law see brooks differences case dalehite need labored governing factors dalehite sufficiently emerge opinion case judgment appeals reversed case remanded district proceedings reversed remanded footnotes although argument elaborately presented first statute government attempted construe manner suits admiralty act stat provided libel personam brought damage caused merchant vessel tug cases vessel privately owned operated proceeding admiralty maintained stated suits shall proceed shall heard determined according principles law rules practice obtaining like cases private parties eastern transportation action brought act recover damages loss ship cargo collision unmarked wreck sunken merchant vessel government moved dismiss action ground inter alia said alleged cause action set said libel relates alleged failure part officers agents perform purely governmental function alleged negligence officers agents performance purely governmental function gives rise liability part america suable elsewhere motion dismiss granted another ground appeal rejected arguments district lacked jurisdiction reversed judgment district congress significantly withheld liability claims relating inter alia postal service tax collection quarantine establishment fiscal operations combatant activities coast guard time war activities tva dalehite disposed claim liability negligence connection fire fighting finding analogous liability law torts see workman new york city justice reed justice burton justice clark justice minton join dissenting reverses judgment ground liable federal tort claims act damages caused negligence coast guard maintaining lighthouse light near mouth mississippi alleged negligence failure coast guard personnel check electrical system operated light failure make proper examination connections apparatus connected light failure repair light give notice vessels light functioning although navigators warned unwatched light assumed point litigation negligence occurred proximate cause loss government operation lighthouse authorized forbidden others except authority coast guard question liability negligence depends scope meaning federal tort claims act history adoption act heretofore thoroughly explained enactment immunity government tort actions absolute act authorized suits government certain conditions government made liable injury persons property caused negligent wrongful act omission employee government acting within scope office employment circumstances private person liable claimant accordance law place act omission occurred feres passed upon applicability act claims members armed services injured negligence military personnel said one obvious shortcoming claims plaintiffs point liability private individual even remotely analogous asserting know american law ever permitted soldier recover negligence either superior officers government serving liability like circumstances private individual power conscript mobilize private army authorities persons government vests echelons command usual civilian doctor patient relationship course liability malpractice landlord undoubtedly held liable injury occurred tenant result negligently maintained heating plant liability assumed government created circumstances circumstances might create find parallel liability think new one created act effect waive immunity recognized causes action visit government novel unprecedented liabilities dalehite followed reasoning feres case involved among issues liability negligence coast guard fighting fire coast guard found negligent duties trial duties outside discretionary function exception act resting decision act said tort claims act change normal rule alleged failure carelessness public firemen create private actionable rights analysis question determined said feres case see act stated limited liability manner extent private individual like circumstances analogous liability fact anything doctrinally sanctified law torts immunity communities public bodies injuries due fighting fire enactment like construed accomplish purpose extravagant generosity make government liable instances liability intended congress certainly necessary every word statute receive broadest possible interpretation congress intended create liability incidents theretofore actionable suable public agencies intention made plain courts legislative branch government act made government liable instances suable private person meaning private person discussed legislative history feres talked private liability came conclusion contrary reached today see pp supra held surgeons private practice private landlords liable negligence mean liability governments failure lighthouse warning lights unknown tort law example liability negligence fire fighting excluded dalehite ruling lighthouse keeping uniquely governmental function fire fighting least uncertainty ambiguity congress meant making liable circumstances liable private person uncertainty lead us accept liability case dealing enlarged concept federal liability torts wisdom dictate cautious approach along lines feres dalehite act says shall liable accordance law place act omission occurred alleged tort occurred louisiana louisiana law municipal corporation responsible injury sustained result negligence part employees city maintenance traffic lights street traffic lights close analogy navigation lights see reason doubt louisiana law maintenance navigation lights permissible municipalities likewise free liability warns us morass decisions involve municipal tort liability calls law quagmire avoids complete surrender sovereign immunity without regard law municipal liability respective impression majority opinion makes government liable act negligence conduct governmental activity operational level seems broad enough cover uniquely governmental activities logically may cover negligence fire fighting although dalehite holding point overruled perhaps liability arises even injuries negligence pursuing criminals literal interpretation act brings application federal tort claims act analogous condemned congress act anderson mt clemens pottery see stat fair labor standards amendments stat bay ridge aaron see code cong serv compare american trucking judgment affirmed coast guard light list atlantic gulf coasts corrected january pp person public body instrumentality excluding armed services shall establish erect maintain aid maritime navigation without first obtaining authority coast guard accordance applicable regulations whoever violates provisions section regulations issued secretary accordance herewith shall guilty misdemeanor shall fined offense day violation continues shall considered new offense advised coast guard manual aids navigation gives examples typical aids considered category private aids coast guard aids navigation standard buoy lighting equipment employed engineers mark dredging areas buoys ranges sound signals channels dredged private corporations property channels used exclusively corporation contractor vessels aids established army navy use connection approaches loading piers etc see also coast guard aids navigation manual pp coast guard regulations require persons owning occupying operating bridges navigable waters maintain expense lights required safety marine navigation may prescribed commandant ed addition duty imposed upon owner sunken wreck mark ed feres dalehite limitations certain specific exceptions pertinent negligence army surgeon operation sewing towel abdomen soldier negligence quartering soldier barracks known unsafe defective heating plant stat sess sess sess sess sess compare elgin south buffalo toolson new york yankees helvering hallock commissioner church edwards city shreveport cf howard city new orleans la see majority opinion workman new york city cited