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

80. Memorandum From the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Secretary of Defense Marshall¹

Washington, July 27, 1951.

SUBJECT

• A Project to Provide a More Adequate Basis for Planning for the Security of the United States

1. In response to your memorandum dated 8 June 1951,² the Joint Chiefs of Staff have considered the report of the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security (ICIS) on the above subject.³ They have considered also a memorandum, dated 13 July 1951, by the Director of Central Intelligence⁴ which was forwarded to the Joint Chiefs of Staff by your memorandum of 19 July 1951.⁵

2. The ICIS report considers Soviet capabilities, Soviet intentions, and U.S. plans for the internal security of the United States. It suggests the need for further coordination and integration of such matters. The draft directive proposed in the report, addressed to the Director of Central Intelligence as Chairman, Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), is intended to remedy these inadequacies by establishing a project to develop a comprehensive appraisal of Soviet capabilities to injure the continental United States. The draft directive contemplates further that key Defense Department personnel be assigned to the project full time for an estimated period of six months and examination by the IAC of certain aspects of United States military war plans.

3. In the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff the project proposed in the ICIS report involves four distinct steps as follows:

a. An estimate of the capability of the USSR to launch a military attack on the continental United States.

Comment: This estimate should be prepared under the direction of the Director of Central Intelligence as Chairman of the IAC.

b. An estimate of the capability of the USSR to conduct sabotage and otherwise disrupt internal U.S. activities.

Comment: This estimate also should be prepared under the direction of the Director of Central Intelligence as Chairman of the IAC.⁶

c. An evaluation of our military capability to counter potential enemy capabilities as estimated in subparagraph 3 a above, and an estimate and report of the probable damage to the United States resulting from such attack.

Comment: This is a responsibility of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

d. An evaluation of ways and means available to counter potential enemy capabilities as estimated in subparagraph 3 b above, and an estimate and report of the probable damage to the United States resulting from such enemy actions.

Comment: This should be accomplished under the direction of the ICIS.

4. Procedures now in effect, whereby members of the IAC provide information and advice to the Director of Central Intelligence, assure assistance in the preparation of estimates 3 a and 3 b above by those qualified in such matters. Accordingly, such intelligence as is required for the project is available through normal channels without the assignment of additional Department of Defense personnel on a full-time basis to CIA. In addition, the ICIS is so organized that portions of the project allocated to that agency will not entail assignment of additional full-time personnel.

5. In view of the above, it is believed that the enclosed draft directives provide a more satisfactory means of accomplishing the purposes of the project than the one proposed in the ICIS report. It is recommended, therefore, that the enclosed directives be issued by the National Security Council in lieu of the directive proposed by the ICIS.

For the Joint Chiefs of Staff:

Omar N. Bradley

⁷
Chairman
Joint Chiefs of Staff

Enclosure “A”⁸

PROPOSED NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DIRECTIVE

APPRAISAL OF SOVIET CAPABILITIES AND PROBABLE COURSES OF ACTION FOR A SURPRISE ATTACK UPON THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES DURING 1951–52

1. Pursuant to authorization by the President, the Director of Central Intelligence, as Chairman of the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), is hereby directed to develop, with the assistance and guidance of IAC agencies and the advice of other appropriate Government departments and agencies, comprehensive intelligence estimates concerning:

a. The capabilities of the USSR to launch military attacks against the continental United States, and

b. The capabilities of the USSR to injure or damage persons, property or morale within the United States by subversion and sabotage.

2. For the purpose of implementing this directive, the departments and agencies of the executive branch of the Government shall make available to the Director of Central Intelligence such intelligence information and advice as appropriate to the solution of the problem.

3. It is desired that these estimates be completed as soon as practicable and, upon completion, a report be forwarded to the National Security Council.

Enclosure “B”⁹

PROPOSED NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL DIRECTIVE

MEASURES FOR THE INTERNAL SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES

1. Pursuant to authorization by the President, the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security (ICIS) is hereby directed to evaluate, with military advice and guidance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ways and means available other than those within the purview of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to counter potential enemy capabilities to conduct sabotage and otherwise disrupt internal U.S. activities.

2. The Director of Central Intelligence, as Chairman of the Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC), has been directed to furnish ICIS a comprehensive intelligence estimate of Soviet capabilities to injure or damage persons, property, or morale, within the United States by subversion and sabotage. ICIS, within its normal functions, will devise measures to counter such Soviet capabilities.

3. It is desired that this evaluation be completed as soon as practicable after receipt of the intelligence estimate (paragraph 2 above) and that a report be forwarded to the National Security Council.

Attachment

Washington, July 13, 1951.

Memorandum From Director of Central Intelligence Smith to the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Lay)¹⁰

SUBJECT

• A Project to Provide a More Adequate Basis for Planning for the Security of the United States

REFERENCE

• Memorandum for the Director of Central Intelligence from the Executive Secretary, National Security Council, same subject, 5 June 1951¹¹

1. There is no doubt of the great need for, and value of, the proposed project. The conclusions and recommendations of the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal Security are concurred in.

2. It should be noted, however, that the appraisal envisaged is of much broader scope than the usual National Intelligence Estimate. It involves the integration of intelligence on the USSR with various types of information on the United States. It is therefore essential that, as provided in Paragraph 2 of the proposed NSC Directive, all Government departments and agencies “shall make available to the Director of Central Intelligence such information in their possession as is necessary to the solution of the problem …” as well as “the full-time services, on a temporary loan basis, … of those individuals who are best qualified by experience and knowledge to assist in the project.”

Walter B. Smith

¹²

1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Directorate of Intelligence, Job 80–R01440R, Box 3, Folder 10. Top Secret. The memorandum was sent to the members of the National Security Council at the request of the Secretary of Defense on July 30.
2. Not found.
3. Apparent reference to Document 79. A memorandum from DAH (not identified) to DCI Smith, July 23, which summarizes a June 1 draft of the ICIS report is attached but not printed.
4. See the attachment below.
5. Not found.
6. A handwritten notation at the end of this paragraph reads: “Interdepartmental Int. Conf.” Regarding the subsequent assignment of this estimate to the Interdepartmental Intelligence Conference, see footnote 4, Document 86.
7. Printed from a copy that indicates Bradley signed the original.
8. Top Secret.
9. Top Secret.
10. Secret. All ellipses in the original.
11. Not printed. Other memoranda are attached that relate to NSC discussion of the issue in June, including a memorandum from Lay to the National Security Council, June 5, which encloses a June 1 memorandum from Whearty to Coyne that transmits the June 1 draft ICIS report and a proposed National Security Council directive. The latter two are not attached, however, and none of these attachments is printed.
12. Printed from a copy that indicates Smith signed the original.