Office of the Historian

214. Memorandum From the National Intelligence Authority to the Director of Central Intelligence (Hillenkoetter)0

Washington, May 14, 1947.

SUBJECT

  • Enabling Legislation

You are hereby directed to prepare drafts of enabling legislation for the Central Intelligence Group. This legislation should be drafted to encompass the principles of the President’s Executive Directive of 22 January 1946, and subsequent Directives of the National Intelligence Authority.

These drafts should be drawn to meet each of the following possible situations:

a.
That the Senate Armed Services Committee or the House Committee on Expenditures in the Executive Departments specifically demand detailed CIG enabling legislation prior to reaching an affirmative [Page 571] decision on Section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947 (S. 758 and H.R. 2319),
b.
That definite indications are received that there is no possibility that unification legislation (S. 758 and H.R. 2319) will be enacted into law at this session, and
c.
That the National Security Act of 1947 is enacted into law.

Upon completion of these drafts, they will be presented to the Intelligence Advisory Board for comment, prior to submission to this Authority. Upon approval of the drafts by this Authority, they will be submitted to the President with the recommendation that they be forwarded to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget for formal comment and approval.

G.C. Marshall 1

Secretary of State
Robert P. Patterson

Secretary of War
Forrestal

Secretary of the Navy
William D. Leahy

Personal Representative of the President
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Decimal File 1945–49, 101.5/5–1947. Confidential. The source text was an information copy sent by the NIA secretary to Eddy and the other members of the Intelligence Advisory Board. These instructions apparently were drafted in CIG for the signature of the principals. For a similar but more detailed memorandum, which probably is the forerunner of the text printed, see the memorandum from Pforzheimer to Hillenkoetter, May 9, in the Supplement. (Central Intelligence Agency Records, Job 90–00610R, Box 1, Folder 2)↩
  2. Printed from a copy that indicates Marshall, Patterson, Forrestal, and Leahy signed the original.↩