193. Circular Instruction From the Department of State0
Washington, April 15, 1947.
WITH FURTHER REFERENCE TO NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AUTHORITY
DIRECTIVE ON “COORDINATION OF COLLECTION ACTIVITIES” (FOREIGN SERVICE SERIAL
NO. 671, FEBRUARY 3, 1947)
Sirs:
Reference is made to the Department’s Foreign Service Serial No. 671,1 February 3, 1947, and the preceding instruction
(No. 670)2 concerning
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the national Intelligence Authority directive on
“Coordination of Collection Activities”. Your attention is likewise invited
to the Department’s circular instruction of April 93 on the
same subject.
With particular reference to the situation in the other American Republics,
there is enclosed for your confidential information a memorandum prepared in
the Department when the subject of the duties and activities of Attachés and
of liaison between Attachés and Ambassadors was under preliminary discussion
last year. While this paper has not been circulated to the War and Navy
Departments, and hence is not an official directive, it was considered by
the State Department representatives during the discussions leading to the
acceptance by State, War, Navy and CIG of
the National Intelligence Authority directive of December 20, 1946.4 It is being made available
to our Diplomatic Missions in the other American Republics solely for
information and as representing the view prevailing in the offices of the
Department primarily concerned with Latin America. With respect to point 3
of the memorandum “Reporting on Non-Military and Non-Naval Matters”, the
solution reached, subsequent to the preparation of the memorandum, is as set
forth in the NIA directive of December 20,
1946, paragraph 1(a).
The objective sought both by the memorandum and by the NIA directive is the same, namely the
achievement under the direction of each Chief of Mission of a smoothly
functioning and properly coordinated flow of intelligence.
The Department will be interested in receiving comments from the field
concerning the arrangements established at each Mission under the aforesaid
National Intelligence Authority directive, the receipt of which provides a
favorable opportunity for each Chief of Mission to review the situation, to
evaluate the operations hitherto undertaken, and to see to it that our
objectives are being attained. It is especially important that Chiefs of
Mission eliminate the duplication and resultant confusion which in the past
attended reporting activities and information collecting activities at some
of the posts in the Latin American area.
This instruction is not being sent to Consulates, but Chiefs of Mission are
authorized in their discretion to make it available.
Very truly yours,
For the Secretary of State:
Ellis O. Briggs
Enclosure5
Washington, July 9, 1946.
Department of State Memorandum
DUTIES AND ACTIVITIES OF ATTACHÉS
1) Liaison Between Attachés and
Ambassadors.
Generally speaking it should be the purpose and duty of Ambassadors to
see to it that all representatives of other Departments and agencies,
including especially Military and Naval Attachés, are fully informed of
the overall work of the mission and of the various developments and
projects being undertaken by the elements composing the chancery. The
Chief of Mission should preside over regular meetings to be attended by
his principal officers. At the discretion of the Chief of Mission, he
may designate a responsible officer of the political section to act as
day-to-day liaison with attachés and officers representing other
agencies. The Ambassador himself should, however, have at least one
regular meeting per week with the principal members of his staff,
including attachés, and should be accessible to them when they desire to
take up matters with him.
2) Military and Naval Attachés
Responsible for Their Own Reports.
Although Military and Naval Attachés are responsible for their own
reports to the War and Navy Departments respectively, they should make
copies available to the Chief of Mission prior to transmission, so that,
if any difference of opinion arises which is not susceptible of
adjustment through discussion, the Chief of Mission can simultaneously
transmit his own report, together with a copy of the Attaché’s report,
and call attention to the difference of views and the reasons therefor.
In such circumstances the Attaché shall endorse on his own report
wherein the Embassy is not in agreement.
3) Reporting on Non-Military and
Non-Naval Matters.
An examination should be undertaken by the War and Navy Departments of
the reporting schedule of Attachés with a view to determining to what
extent there is duplication of reports prepared by the chancery. The
State Department is of the opinion that Attache reporting should be
reduced in respect of political, social, economic, and related
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non-military and non-naval
matters. For such time as Attachés may still be required to report on
such matters, the chancery should be the primary source of information.
The personnel of the chancery will always include officers trained in
political and economic reporting, plus in many instances specialists in
the fields of particular interest in a given country (petroleum in
Venezuela, and sugar in Cuba, for example). Their services are of course
available to Military and Naval Attachés in assisting them to prepare
reports.
4) Sources of Attachés’ Information Should be Made
Available to the Chief of Mission on his Specific Request (Except re
Information on Military or Naval Matters).
The Ambassador is the personal representative of the President, in
addition to being the ranking representative of the United States
Government abroad. He must have unquestioned authority over all
representatives of all other agencies of our Government abroad. Since
the Ambassador is responsible for the success of United States
representation as a whole, and for interpreting to the President and the
Department of State developments affecting relations between the country
to which he is accredited and the United States, there may be times when
in his considered judgment, he must (except with regard to information
on subjects that are exclusively military or naval in character as noted
above) be in a position to ascertain under appropriate safeguards of
secrecy the source of an Attaché’s information, in order appropriately
to evaluate it. On the specific request of the Ambassador, the source of
such non-military/naval information should accordingly be made available
to him.
