The Joint Chiefs of Staff request that the Secretary of War and the Secretary
of the Navy forward the attached memorandum to the President.
Enclosure1
Washington, undated.
Memorandum From Secretary of War Stimson and Secretary of the Navy
Forrestal to President
Truman
A memorandum from the Director of Strategic Services on the establishment
of a central intelligence service was referred to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff on 22 November 19442 for their comment and
recommendation. The matter received careful study and consideration at
that time and the [Page 41] Joint Chiefs
of Staff were prepared to recommend, when opportune, the establishment
of such an agency in three steps, namely:
- 1.
- An Executive Order setting up a National Intelligence
Authority, (composed of the Secretaries of State, War and the
Navy, and a representative of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), a
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (appointed by the
President), and an Intelligence Advisory Board (heads of the
principal military and civilian intelligence agencies).
- 2.
- Preparation and submission to the President by the above group
of a basic organizational plan for establishing the complete
intelligence system.
- 3.
- Establishing of this intelligence system by Presidential
directive and legislative action as appropriate.
Since their first studies, the Joint Chiefs of Staff have had referred to
them a letter from the Director of Strategic Services to the Director,
Bureau of the Budget, dated 25 August 1945, renewing his proposals on
the subject. Meanwhile, the cessation of hostilities, certain undecided
questions regarding the future organization of the military
establishment, and the development of new weapons present new factors
which require consideration.
The end of hostilities has tended to emphasize the importance of
proceeding without further delay to set up a central intelligence
system.
The unsettled question as to post-war military organization does not
materially affect the matter, and certainly warrants no further delay
since a central intelligence agency can be fitted to whatever
organization or establishments are decided upon.
Recent developments in the field of new weapons have advanced the
question of an efficient intelligence service to a position of
importance, vital to the security of the nation in a degree never
attained and never contemplated in the past. It is now entirely possible
that failure to provide such a system might bring national disaster.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff recognize, as does the Director of Strategic
Services, the desirability of:
- a.
- Further coordination of intelligence activities related to the
national security;
- b.
- The unification of such activities of common concern as can be
more efficiently conducted by a common agency; and
- c.
- The synthesis of departmental intelligence on the strategic
and national policy level.
They consider that these three functions may well be more effectively
carried on in a common intelligence agency, provided that suitable
conditions of responsibility to the departments primarily concerned with
national security are maintained. They believe, however, that the
specific proposals made by the Director of Strategic Services are open
to serious objection in that, without adequate compensating advantages,
[Page 42] they would over-centralize
the national intelligence service and place it at such a high level that
it would control the operations of departmental intelligence agencies
without responsibility, either individually or collectively, to the
heads of the departments concerned.
In view of the above, the Joint Chiefs of Staff append hereto an
alternative draft directive, which they believe retains the merits of
General Donovan’s proposals,
while obviating the objection thereto.
The success of the proposed organization will depend largely on the
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. In the opinion of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff, he should have considerable permanence in office, and
to that end should be either a specially qualified civilian or an Army
or Navy officer of appropriate background and experience who can be
assigned for the requisite period of time. It is considered absolutely
essential, particularly in the case of the first director, that he be in
a position to exercise impartial judgment in the many difficult problems
of organization and cooperation which must be solved before an effective
working organization can be established.
