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

284. National Security Council Memorandum⁰

Washington, June 4, 1948.

PRINCIPLES TENTATIVELY APPROVED BY THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

1. Responsibility for both secret intelligence and secret operations, including covert psychological activities, should be placed in a new special services unit to be created in CIA.

2. This unit should have a considerable measure of autonomy within CIA.

3. A highly qualified person recruited from inside or outside the present ranks of CIA and approved by the National Security Council should be appointed to head the new unit in CIA.

4. Provision should be made so that the chief of the newly created unit has access to and receives policy guidance from the Department of State and from the Office of the Secretary of Defense to the extent that military questions are involved.

5. It is understood that this is a provisional arrangement subject to review at a later date.

0. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 273, Records of the National Security Council, NSC 10/2. Top Secret. No drafting information appears on the source text but it was probably prepared by the NSC staff on the basis of the discussion at the preceding day’s meeting of the Council.