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

93. Memorandum From the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Research and Intelligence (Eddy) to the Under Secretary of State (Acheson)⁰

Washington, January 30, 1947.

SUBJECT

• Organization for Research and Intelligence in the Department of State

I. The Problem

To realign the organization under the Special Assistant to the Secretary for Research and Intelligence so that he may more effectively discharge his responsibilities.

II. Conclusions (See Appendix I for discussion)¹

1. The Research and Intelligence organization has operated since July 1, 1946,² under the “Russell Plan.” The principal feature of that plan is the division between the Special Assistant and the Geographic Offices of authority over the basic research activities of the organization. The effective operation of an intelligence organization under such conditions has proved unworkable and impracticable.

2. The Special Assistant is charged with the responsibility to the Secretary for planning and implementing a positive foreign intelligence program and for maintaining all interdepartmental liaison in that field with other intelligence services. In order to accomplish that mission, he should have specific responsibility for:

(a) The control and direction of intelligence research and the collection and dissemination of intelligence materials. The Office of the Special Assistant should receive all intelligence materials coming into the Department which, in his opinion, are necessary for the preparation of the most complete, accurate and timely intelligence.

(b) The preparation and dissemination of daily or periodic intelligence summaries, as required.

3. The Special Assistant should also have the authority to adopt such security measures within the intelligence organization, in addition to departmental security regulations, as may be required by the nature of the work and to assure effective cooperation from other intelligence services.

4. The Advisory Committee on Intelligence, established to assist the Special Assistant, should be reconstituted so as to be more representative. It should be composed of the Special Assistant, as Chairman; the Directors of the two Offices subordinate to him; the Office Directors or their representatives from the Geographic Offices; the Director of SPA or his representative; and a representative designated by each of the following: A–B, A–T, and A–P.

5. The Subcommittee on Programs and Priorities of the Advisory Committee on Intelligence should be dissolved, since its concept derived from the theory of the “Russell Plan” and its important functions should more properly be performed within the intelligence organization.

III. Recommendations

It is recommended that:

1. The geographic research divisions (DRA, DRE, DRF, and DRN) be transferred from the Geographic Offices to the organization under the Special Assistant.

2. Departmental regulations be amended and appropriate orders issued to implement the conclusions stated above and to provide the organization indicated on the following chart.³

William A. Eddy

0. Source: National Archives and Records Administration, RG 59, Records of the Department of State, Records of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research: Lot 58 D 776, Birth of the Intelligence Organization in the Department of State. Secret.
1. Not printed. See the Supplement.
2. For the regulations giving effect to the Russell Plan, see Department of State Bulletin, September 8, 1946, pp. 465–471. These regulations revised and amplified an earlier set of orders that had entered into force on May 1, 1946; see ibid., May 12, 1946, pp. 826–828.
3. Not printed. See the Supplement.