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

134. Memorandum From the Director of the Strategic Services Unit, Department of War (Quinn) to the Assistant Secretary of War (Petersen)⁰

Washington, April 11, 1947.

SUBJECT

• Liquidation of SSU

1. On 2 April 1946 you appointed me Director of the Strategic Services Unit of the War Department. On 3 April 1946 you issued instructions to me directing that liquidation of SSU be completed not later than 30 June 1947.¹ You further directed that this liquidation be coordinated with development of the permanent peace-time intelligence program, and that SSU service the intelligence agencies and make available to the Director of Central Intelligence any facilities or services of SSU which might be useful in the performance of the authorized functions of the Central Intelligence Group.

2. All civilian personnel of SSU have been terminated and military personnel have been transferred or reassigned. Foreign missions and stations were liquidated as SSU installations on or before 20 October 1946.

3. Funds adequate to meet outstanding obligations of SSU have been allocated from appropriations of the War Department available for that purpose. These funds will be administered in accordance with arrangements which have been made with administrative personnel of your office. Experience indicates that claims and inquiries arising out of past operations of OSS-SSU will continue, and no accurate estimate can now be made of their number or when they will cease. They are, however, so few that personnel now on duty with the Central Intelligence Group and familiar with such matters can supply necessary information and assistance. Such questions may, therefore, be referred to proper CIG officials.

4. The disposition of the assets and facilities of SSU has been coordinated with the Director of Central Intelligence in accordance with his requirements and to his satisfaction.

5. Effective this date liquidation of SSU is complete with the exceptions noted in paragraph 3, above, and your instructions have been complied with. It is therefore recommended that I be relieved as Director, SSU.²

William W. Quinn ³

Colonel, Inf.

0. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HC–804, Item 7. Confidential. The source text may be a transcript prepared for the CIA Historian in the early 1950s.
1. Document 107.
2. In an April 11 memorandum to Petersen, Vandenberg concurred in Quinn’s recommendations. (Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HC–804, Item 7)
3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.