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

142. National Intelligence Authority Directive No. 2⁰

Washington, February 8, 1946.

ORGANIZATION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE GROUP (Tentative)

REFERENCES

A.

The President’s letter of 22 January 1946, establishing the National Intelligence Authority

B.

N.I.A. Directive Number 1¹

1. Pursuant to the President’s letter of 22 January 1946, designating the undersigned as the National Intelligence Authority, the Central Intelligence Group is hereby constituted and will be activated this date by the Director of Central Intelligence. In accordance with personnel authorizations approved by this Authority, the Departments of State, War, and the Navy will assign personnel to the Central Intelligence Group, and make reliefs and replacements, upon the Director’s requisition. The approved initial personnel authorization is enclosed (Appendix “A”).

2. The initial authorization provides the minimum personnel necessary for the tasks of organizing, surveying pressing problems, and meeting initial requirements. As soon as practicable the Director will submit his recommendations for augmentation of the Group.

3. Initial principal offices and sub-divisions shall be as shown on the chart (Appendix “B”), with functions as follows:

a. Director of Central Intelligence—Responsible for all operations of the Central Intelligence Group in accordance with the President’s letter of 22 January 1946 and Directives of the National Intelligence Authority. He will make the assignments of all personnel in the Group. At the appropriate time, he will select an Assistant Director from each of the four personnel contingents (State, Army, Navy, Air), one of whom he may designate as his Deputy.

b. Administrative Section—This Section will perform all necessary administrative and security functions of the Group, and will provide the Secretariat for the National Intelligence Authority.

c. Central Reports Staff—This Staff will assist the Director in accomplishing the correlation and evaluation of intelligence relating to the national security, and in accomplishing appropriate dissemination within the Government of the resulting strategic and national policy intelligence.

d. Central Planning Staff—This Staff will assist the Director in planning for the coordination of intelligence activities related to the national security, and in preparing recommendations regarding the establishment of such over-all policies and objectives as will assure the most effective accomplishment of the national intelligence mission.

e. Central Intelligence Services—The Central Intelligence Services shall be such operating agencies as may hereafter be established upon approval of this Authority under the provisions of paragraph 3c of the President’s Directive of 22 January.

4. Initial Tasks. The Director of Central Intelligence will give first priority to the following tasks:

a. Production of daily summaries containing factual statements of the significant developments in the field of intelligence and operations related to the national security and to foreign events for the use of the President, the members of this Authority, and additional distribution shown in Appendix “C”.

b. Conducting a survey of existing facilities for collection of foreign intelligence information, and submission of appropriate recommendations.

Secretary of State²
Secretary of War
Secretary of the Navy
Personal Representative of the President

0. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HC–244. Confidential. This “tentative” version was approved at the February 8 NIA meeting. Appendices A–C are in the Supplement under cover of a February 11 memorandum from Souers. (National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Decimal File 1945–49, 101.5/2–1146)
1. Document 141.
2. No signatures or any annotation indicating the directive was signed appears on the source text.