Foreign Relations of the United States, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment

304. Letter From Secretary of Defense Forrestal to Acting Secretary of State Lovett⁰

Washington, October 13, 1948.

My Dear Mr. Secretary: I have received your letter of 1 October 1948,¹ which brings to my attention the need for obtaining the cooperation of the United States military authorities in Germany in order that the Office of Policy Coordination of the Central Intelligence Agency may effectively discharge its mandate to conduct political warfare.

I wish to assure you of my wholehearted agreement with you in regard to the importance of political warfare and the desirability of obtaining the full cooperation of the United States military authorities in Germany with respect to those measures, mentioned in your letter, which will support the political warfare program.

With my approval, Mr. Wisner, Director of the Office of Policy Coordination, has discussed this problem with the appropriate authorities in the Department of the Army. They have expressed complete agreement with the proposals in your letter and are transmitting their views to General Clay. Mr. Wisner will be informed of General Clay’s comments and of further developments in this matter.

Sincerely yours,

Forrestal

0. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Decimal File 1945–49, 101.61/10–1348. Top Secret.
1. Document 301.