Office of the Historian

58. Memorandum From the Executive Officer, Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air (Brownell) to the Members of the Lovett Committee0

Washington, December 17, 1945.

SUBJECT

  • Proposals for Central Intelligence Agency
1.
The Secretary of War has directed that the special committee appointed by him by directive dated 22 October 19451 to consider intelligence matters be reconvened under the chairmanship of the senior officer, with the addition of representatives of the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War for Air, to advise him further on certain matters in connection with the establishment of a Central Intelligence Agency.
2.
The recommendations of the above Committee on the subject of a Central Intelligence Agency, after receiving the approval of the Secretary [Page 147] of War, were submitted to the State Department and Navy Department.2 Those recommendations were in general concurred in by the Navy Department. The State Department proposed a counterplan, copies of which are attached as Tab A.3
3.
Both programs were discussed at a meeting of the Secretaries of State, War and Navy.4 No final decision was reached, and it was decided that the matter should be further considered with a view to perhaps arriving at a compromise decision. The State Department has now prepared certain amendments to their original plan, attached as Tab B.5
4.
The Secretary of War requests that the above Committee meet to consider the entire subject, including the revised State Department plan, as soon as possible. The Secretary states that he does not wish to delay matters for a further written report from the Committee, but that he would like to meet with them after they have had an opportunity to consider the revised plan. Notice of a meeting of the Committee to be held on Tuesday or Wednesday6 will be sent out by the Recorder.
By direction of the Secretary of War:
George A. Brownell

Brigadier General, U.S.A.
  1. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 263, Records of the Central Intelligence Agency, Troy Papers, December 1945. Secret. Addressed to Major Generals Craig (OPD), Quesada (AAF), and Wyman (AGF), Brigadier Generals Clarke (G–2) and Magruder (SSU), and Colonel Roamer (ASF).↩
  2. Not found, but see Document 32.↩
  3. Document 42.↩
  4. Document 46.↩
  5. Presumably the meeting reported on in Document 55.↩
  6. Document 56.↩
  7. December 18 and 19.↩