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

47. Memorandum of Meeting⁰

Washington, November 19, 1945, 3 p.m.

MEMORANDUM COVERING MEETING OF THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE

PRESENT

• Mr. Russell, Col. McCormack, Mr. Lovett, Brig. Gen. Brownell, Major Correa and the undersigned

1. After a general discussion it was obvious that representatives of Secretary of War and Navy on the one hand and representatives of Secretary of State were unable to make any progress in their negotiations until several fundamental differences could be clarified as follows:

(a) Col. McCormack construes the letter of 20 Sept. 1945 as a directive to the Secretary of State to take the lead in developing an interdepartmental intelligence program and putting the program in operation.

(b) Representatives of SecWar and SecNav interpret the letter as a directive to Sec State to take the lead in creating an interdepartmental group to formulate plans for the approval of the President.

(c) Col. McCormack favors a plan providing that the head or Executive Secretary of the coordinating authority be named by Secretary of State and that he be an employee of the State Department.

(d) Col. McCormack’s plan provides further that in lieu of a Central agency responsible for producing national intelligence estimates, the Estimates Staff of the Special Assistant for Research and Intelligence be assigned the responsibility in collaboration with other interested agencies.

(e) Representatives of SecWar and Navy feel strongly that the head or Director of the C.I.A. should be named by the President upon the nomination of and responsible to the Secretaries of State, War and Navy and representatives of J.C.S. and that National Intelligence estimates should be produced by the C.I.A.

2. The meeting adjourned with the understanding that we would ask our respective Secretaries to instruct their representatives as to which concept should prevail. After decision is reached on the question of top control it is believed the committee can reconcile differences in connection with the formulation of a program for submission to the President.

S.W. Souers ¹

Rear Admiral, USNR

0. Source: Central Intelligence Agency Historical Files, HS/HC–135. Top Secret. The date on the memorandum is October 19 but this presumably is an error as the meeting was held November 19. The meeting was held in the Department of State. The committee was the working group appointed by the Secretaries of State, War, and Navy at their November 14 meeting; see Document 45.
1. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.