28. Memorandum From the Deputy Director for Plans, Central Intelligence Agency (Wisner) to the Chief of the Western Hemisphere Division, Central Intelligence Agency (King)1
SUBJECT
- Central American Situation
1. I have read the two memoranda dated 9 October and the memoranda dated 10 October by Colonel King, also Mr. [name not declassified]’s memorandum dated 8 October—these memoranda are returned herewith.2 Colonel King’s memoranda appear to be adequate for the purposes intended. Mr. [name not declassified]’s memorandum appears to be an accurate report of the conversation but I feel that it should be rewritten for the purpose of sterilization and that all copies of the existing memorandum should be burned as too revealing. Further concerning Mr. [name not declassified]’s memorandum, I recommend a slight modification in the language of the last sentence on page 1. Instead of saying that “the Agency is purely an executive organization of the Government which carries out the orders of the State Department ….”, I think it would be much better to express these thoughts as follows:
“In the Director’s view, the Agency is purely an executive organization of the Government which carries out missions and conducts activities in support of the foreign policy objectives of the Government. The State Department has the primary responsibility in the field of foreign policy and accordingly, the Agency would do nothing that is considered by the State Department to be contrary to its policy determinations. If the State Department disapproves of this particular project, the Agency will take immediate steps to bring to a halt its participation in all phases of the matter deemed objectionable by the State Department.”
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Job 79–01025A, Box 151, Folder 4. Secret; Eyes Only. Also addressed to the Deputy Chief of the Western Hemisphere Division.↩
- Documents 24–26 and 21.↩