271. Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Hillenkoetter to the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Souers)0
Washington, May 5, 1948.
- 1.
- Reference is made to the draft of the proposed NSC Directive establishing the functions of a Director of
Special Studies—as distributed this date.1 This Agency
desires to place itself on record as follows:
- a.
- If it appears desirable, in the interest of national security, to designate an individual responsible for the planning and coordination of psychological warfare activities, this Agency feels the individual should be the present chief of current activities in that field. War-time activities in that field should be a natural growth and expansion of peace-time activities. The individual responsible for future planning should be identical with the individual responsible for current planning and operations.
- b.
- The existing operation and its liaison with the Department of State is handicapped only by the absence of a State Department officer having authority to represent the Department in regard to over-all policies.
- c.
- It is assumed that the word “all”, in the first line of paragraph 3 of the subject draft paper, is a typographical error in view of the provisions of NSC 4–A and NSCID 5.
- d.
- If the National Security Council feels, in opposition to
subparagraphs a, b, and c, above, that a necessity still exists
for the appointment of a Director of Special Studies, it is
urgently recommended that one of two actions be taken, as
follows:
- (1)
- Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the proposed directive be
changed to read substantially as follows:
- “2. The Director should have initially only the necessary clerical staff to perform his designated functions.
- “3. For the purpose of planning covert psychological operations for
implementation by the operating Agency, in the
interest of national security, it shall be the
duty of the Director, under the Direction of the
National Security Council:
- “a. To develop a program for the conduct of both overt and covert psychological operations in time of war or national emergency.
- “b. To plan for emergency or war-time organization, training, equipment and logistical support.”
- (2)
- Divorce the existing covert psychological operations from the control and operation of CIA by the rescission of NSC 4–A and place it under the control and operation of a new Agency. Security in the conduct of this sensitive operation cannot be maintained except through control by one Agency.
- 2.
- It will be noted that the proposed draft directive provides for the full control of covert psychological operations without the responsibility. It is not believed this is the intent of either the Congress or the National Security Council as indicated in NSC 4–A, NSCID 5, and the National Security Act of 1947.
RH Hillenkoetter
Rear Admiral, USN
- Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 273, Records of the National Security Council, NSC 10/2. Top Secret.↩
- Document 270.↩