Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950–1955, The Intelligence Community, 1950–1955

1. Memorandum From Secretary of Defense Johnson¹

Washington, January 19, 1950.

MEMORANDUM FOR

• The Secretary of the Army
• The Secretary of the Navy
• The Secretary of the Air Force

SUBJECT

• Support of Covert Operations of CIA

REFS

• (a) Memorandum to the Director, CIA, on the above subject dtd 6 Oct ‘49²
• (b) Reply of Director, CIA, to the Secretary of Defense, 18 Oct ‘49³

1. Pursuant to the last paragraph of the first reference you are authorized to support the covert operations of the Central Intelligence Agency in accordance with the terms of my memorandum of 6 October 1949.

2. The Joint Subsidiary Plans Division, Joint Staff, is the agency within the Department of Defense responsible, among other duties, for coordinating and facilitating operational support of approved covert operations of the CIA with the Services.

3. The responsibilities in this field of Brigadier General John Magruder, USA (Retired), Policy Consultant for this office with the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency, remain as indicated in my letter of 7 October 1949, to the Secretary of State, a copy of which was provided you.⁴

Louis Johnson

⁵

1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry, Job 95–G00278R, Box 1, Folder 5. Top Secret. Copies were sent to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Director, Subsidiary Plans Division; and the Director of Central Intelligence.
2. See Foreign Relations, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment, Document 312.
3. Ibid., Document 315.
4. Ibid., Document 313.
5. Printed from a copy that indicates Johnson signed the original.