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

183. Central Intelligence Group Directive No. 18⁰

Washington, January 23, 1947.

COORDINATION OF COLLECTION ACTIVITIES

Memorandum by the Director of Central Intelligence

1. To implement the overall policies and objectives established by the National Intelligence Authority for the interdepartmental coordination of collection activities¹ the following program is announced:

A. Responsibilities.

1. There has been made the following allocation within broad categories of agency responsibility for collection in the field:

• Political—State Department
• Cultural—State Department
• Sociological—State Department
• Military—War Department
• Naval—Navy Department
• Economic—Each agency in accordance with its respective needs
• Scientific—Each agency in accordance with its respective needs

2. In preparing reports under these allocations, reporting agents will take full cognizance of the collateral or secondary needs of other agencies for such information. Determination of these needs may be made by consultation with appropriate collecting agents or by references to pertinent agency collection directives.

3. Intelligence information and material, regardless of the collector, shall wherever possible be transmitted immediately to the local field representative of the agency most concerned. However, the collector may also send copies to his own agency.

4. There shall be free and unrestricted interdepartmental flow of intelligence information and intelligence to meet the recognized collateral or secondary need of each department for intelligence usually prepared or obtained by other departments. This directive shall be interpreted to apply only to those departments represented on the Intelligence Advisory Board by permanent members.

B. Designation and Duties of the Coordinating Official.

1. In all areas where the United States maintains a foreign service establishment, the senior U.S. representative will be responsible for the coordination of all collection activities within his area to the end that the announced intelligence objectives of the Government as a whole shall be most efficiently and expeditiously accomplished.

2. Field collection shall generally follow but not be limited by the allocated responsibilities of the respective departments or agencies. The coordinating authority, in the implementation of the respective collection programs, shall take full advantage of the individual abilities and contacts of his staff members.

3. To implement this program each coordinating authority shall, wherever practicable and within the limits of security requirements:

(a) Establish a central intelligence file for the use of all authorized personnel.

(b) Insure that unproductive collection duplication is avoided; and that the information obtained is properly channeled.

(c) Insure whenever one or more of the departmental intelligence agencies are not represented at a foreign post or whenever the appropriate representative is unable for any reason to carry out his mission, that the reporting responsibility is allocated to the extent possible to other members of the staff. When such delegation is other than temporary, the responsible officer will advise the agency concerned through his parent agency of his action and the reason therefor.

C. Responsibilities of Collecting Agents.

1. Field representatives of each intelligence department or agency, whether permanently attached to the establishment or on temporary duty in the area, will be directed by their department or agency to:

(a) Cooperate in the coordination measures prescribed by the responsible officer as set forth in paragraph B above.

(b) Promptly bring to the attention of the proper representatives of other departments or agencies any intelligence information or material of concern to them.

(c) Collect information and prepare intelligence reports other than within their own categories when specifically directed by their agency or by the senior U.S. representative.

(d) Make available to the senior U.S. representative all collection directives and instructions which are received from their departments.

2. Nothing in this directive shall be interpreted as authorizing any officer to delay, suppress, or make substantive changes in any intelligence report without the concurrence of the officer submitting the report. Intelligence information and material which may have no significance to field representatives in a single area or which may appear to be at complete variance with the overall trend may have great significance and form a definite part of a picture being developed by the individual department or by the Central Intelligence Group. Any dissenting opinion or commentary will either be incorporated in the report, or submitted separately as promptly as possible.

3. Subject to the limitations of security, reports will bear the following information:

(a) Name of collector and name of reporter.

(b) The CIG index number (when established).

(c) Local distribution given the report.

2. In order further to assure the most effective accomplishment of the national intelligence mission through the avoidance of conflicting or duplicating instructions to the field, agency directives implementing or affecting the above procedures or policies as well as directives assigning collection missions in the unallocated fields of economics or scientific information will be coordinated with CIG prior to issuance.

3. Any existing instructions or directives in conflict with the provisions of this directive will be rescinded or appropriately amended.

0. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 218, Records of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Leahy Papers, No. 130. Confidential.
1. See Document 181.