Office of the Historian

44. White House Memorandum0

Washington, November 7, 1945.

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE SERVICE

It appears that the development of plans for a coordinated Foreign Intelligence Program for all Federal Agencies concerned is bogged down because the War and Navy Departments believe that the problem is being worked out by the Department of State in obedience to the President’s letter to the Secretary of State dated 20 September 1945.1

The only apparently promising prospect of getting useful action on this problem in the reasonably near future is as follows:

The President to call a conference with the Secretaries of State, War and Navy, and direct them to work together in the preparation of a plan for the establishment of a Central Intelligence Service that is acceptable to the three Departments of State, War and Navy.

This plan to be completed and submitted to the President for his approval at the earliest practicable date, and not later than 31 December 1945.

  1. Source: Truman Library, Official File, 892, No classification marking. Truman wrote the following note at the bottom of the page for Matt Connelly: “Matt: Set this up. H.S.T.” No drafting information appears on the source text; it is neither signed nor addressed and the exact circumstances in which it was prepared are unknown. But Truman’s handwritten instructions to Connelly on this copy clearly make it a Presidential directive. Troy (Donovan and the CIA, pp. 320–321) believes that it was inspired by Admiral Leahy who, in turn, was prompted by “someone from the Navy Department.” Leahy makes no mention of this document in his diaries; it is therefore not clear precisely how this is linked to the Presidential instruction Leahy did receive, on or shortly before October 31, directing him to look into the status of McCormack’s efforts.↩
  2. Document 15.↩