Office of the Historian

76. Circular Telegram From the Department of State to Certain Diplomatic Missions0

Washington, October 22, 1945, 4 p.m.

By Executive Order of the President, full text of which appeared in Radio Bulletin No. 225, the Office of Strategic Services was terminated as of October 1, 1945, and the various branches of that organization were divided between the War Department and the Department of State. The Research and Analysis Branch, excepting for its staffs now in Germany and Austria, was transferred to the Department of State where it now functions as part of the Interim Research and Intelligence Service set up by the same Order and under Mr. Alfred McCormack, Special Assistant to the Secretary of State.

The Research and Analysis Branch has for some time maintained outpost staffs in various foreign stations. These staffs have engaged in the procurement of intelligence materials, including maps of all kinds and printed as well as documentary sources. In certain places the R and A staffs have also done political and economic reporting, in cooperation with the State Department missions.

It is desired that the work hitherto performed by the R and A staffs should be continued for the present and that State Department missions should aid and guide these staffs as far as possible.

For administrative purposes the R and A staffs abroad will continue, until further notice, to be serviced by that part of the former Office of Strategic Services which is now under the War Department and which is now known as the Strategic Services Unit. In like manner the R and A staffs will continue to use SSU codes and communications and will receive direction from the R and A office in Washington. However, where difficulties may arise regarding the status of R and A staffs abroad, the State Department representative should, if necessary, attach such staffs to his mission, pending further instructions from Washington.

Byrnes
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Decimal File 1945–49, 103.918/10–2245. Secret. Drafted by McCormack and cleared in OFS, NEA, EUR, and ARA, and by Donald Russell. Sent to Ankara, Athens, Brussels, Bucharest, Budapest, Cairo, Chunking, London, New Delhi, Paris, Rome, Sofia, The Hague, Tirana, and Colombo for Yost. The time of transmission is handwritten on the source text.↩