113. Letter From the Director of Central Intelligence (Vandenberg) to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Hoover)0

Dear Mr. Hoover: I deeply appreciate your cooperation in expressing approval of my proposed N.I.A. Directive in your letter of 2 July.1

With reference to your comments on the statement contained in the Discussion to N.I.A. 4, you will note that it was amended to read as follows:

“This does not, of course, preclude the use of specialized departmental personnel under rigid central control as mutually agreed to by the Director of Central Intelligence and authorized departmental officials.”

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This amended version was intended to clarify the meaning of the sentence in view of the point which you raised your letter of 25 June.2 It is my intention to employ in the operation in question the best qualified personnel from all possible sources. It is therefore entirely conceivable that I would like to use on specific missions specially qualified personnel of Government departments other than State, War and Navy. I realize, however, that any such arrangement would have to be agreed to by the responsible officials of those departments, as indicated in the above amended sentence. I hope that this amendment clarifies the meaning to your satisfaction.

With reference to the second paragraph of your letter of 2 July, I am very pleased to concur in your offer to withdraw from Central and South America provided you are willing to postpone withdrawal until the Central Intelligence Group is adequately organized and staffed so that we may arrange an orderly transfer with a minimum of interruption. As evidenced by N.I.A. support for your 1947 budget for this activity, it is anticipated that this will involve continued coverage of that area by you for the better part of that fiscal year. With your cooperation to this extent, I am sure that we can work out an orderly transition. I also hope to discuss with you at some later date the possibility of my utilizing the services of some of your experienced personnel.

With kindest personal regards, I am

Very truly yours,

Hoyt S. Vandenberg 3

Lieutenant General, USA
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/CSG–2227, Job 83–00739R, Box 2, Folder 3. Top Secret.
  2. Not found, but quoted in full in Ladd’s July 22 memorandum to Hoover. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 263, Records of the Central Intelligence Agency, Troy Papers, FBI Documents) See the Supplement. The proposed NIA Directive is National Intelligence Authority Directive No. 5, Document 160.
  3. Not found, but quoted in full in Ladd’s July 22 memorandum to Hoover; see footnote 1 above.
  4. Printed from a copy that indicates Vandenberg signed the original.