Office of the Historian

226. Memorandum From the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Souers) to the National Security Council0

Washington, October 10, 1947.

SUBJECT

  • Appointment of an Intelligence Advisory Committee

The enclosed memorandum by the Director of Central Intelligence (Enclosure A)1 is submitted herewith for consideration by the designated members of the National Security Council.

The Executive Secretary recommends that Enclosure A be approved subject to the deletion of paragraph 112 of the Appendix3 thereto. This paragraph would require the Director of Central Intelligence to submit to the National Security Council any recommendation which two or more Intelligence Advisory Committee (IAC) members believe should be submitted. This is considered an inappropriate channel for reaching the National Security Council by such IAC members. The proper channel for IAC members, which is recognized by the wording of paragraph 12 of the Appendix, is through the heads of their respective departments or agencies who, with the exception of the Atomic Energy Commission, are members of the National Security Council. The Atomic Energy Commission, if it agrees with the recommendation of its Intelligence Director, can of course submit such recommendation to the National Security Council for consideration. Unless the proper channel is used (and paragraph 11 is deleted) there is danger that the National Security Council will receive recommendations by IAC members with which their respective departmental heads do not concur.

For convenience in indicating action on Enclosure A, a return memorandum form, to be completed by each addressee, is attached hereto as Enclosure B.4

Sidney W. Souers
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Records of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research: Lot 62 D 42, IAC. Confidential. Addressed to the Secretaries of State, Defense, Army, Navy, and Air Force, and the Chairman of the National Security Resources Board.↩
  2. Not printed; see the Supplement. Enclosure A is Hillenkoetter’s September 19 memorandum to the NSC on the Intelligence Advisory Committee (Document 222) with a few changes in wording.↩
  3. Paragraph 11 was taken from paragraph 3 of NIA Directive No. 11, Document 325.↩
  4. The appendix is the same as the enclosure to Document 222.↩
  5. Not printed.↩