152. Memorandum From the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Kyes)1
MEMORANDUM FOR THE
- Secretaries of the Military Departments
- Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Assistant Secretaries of Defense
- Chairmen of Boards, Committees and Councils, OSD
- Assistants to the Secretary of Defense
- Directors of Offices, OSD
SUBJECT
- Reorganization—Office of Special Operations, Office of the Secretary of Defense
REFERENCES
- Department of Defense Directive C-5132.1
- Department of Defense Directive S-3140.12
General Graves B. Erskine, USMC (Retired), has been appointed Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Director, Office of Special Operations, Office of the Secretary of Defense. His office and responsibilities are within the immediate purview of the Deputy Secretary of Defense, to whom he will report.
All functions formerly assigned to the Deputy for Psychological Policy and to the Office of Psychological Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, are hereby assigned to the Office of Special Operations; the Office of Psychological Policy is therefore abolished; and personnel thereof assigned to the Office of Special Operations.
The functions of the Office of Special Operations encompass all psychological operations activities in which the Department of Defense participates, including monitorship of psychological warfare planning, operations, and research and development; as well as unconventional warfare, international information activities, and other operations of a similar nature which are within the cognizance of the Psychological Strategy Board, its successor agencies, or within the provisions of NSC 10/2,3 [Page 431] NSC 10/5,4 NSC 59/1,5 and the report by the President’s Committee on International Information Activities.6
It is also the function of the Office of Special Operations to advise and assist the Secretary of Defense and his staff on all matters pertaining to the national intelligence effort, including those provided under NSCID No. 9 Revised,7 in which the Office of the Secretary of Defense has a direct interest or designated responsibility.
It is the duty of the Director, Office of Special Operations, to provide staff support for the Secretary of Defense and the Deputy Secretary of Defense in these fields and to perform such other duties as may be assigned. The Director, Office of Special Operations, will provide principal staff representation for the Office of the Secretary of Defense in all such matters with other departments and agencies of the U.S. Government.
For these purposes the Director, Office of Special Operations, is herewith delegated the authority to obtain such reports and information from the military departments as are necessary to carry out his responsibilities, and is authorized to request the military departments to issue the necessary directives to obtain such reports and information.
In the performance of these functions, the Director, Office of Special Operations, will to the extent practical, utilize the advice, assistance, and appropriate facilities of the military departments. Such utilization shall not, however, be construed or so utilized as to circumvent the existing command channels through the Secretaries of the military departments for the formal communication of approved policies, plans, or other directives.
The reference directives remain in effect except as modified by this memorandum with respect to subordination and title of office pending their reissuance or recision after completion of anticipated National Security Council–Executive Branch reorganization now under consideration.
- Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Office of the Deputy Director for Operations, Job 79–01228A, Box 8. Secret; Security Information.↩
- The two references were not found.↩
- See Foreign Relations, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment, Document 292.↩
- Document 90.↩
- Document 2.↩
- See Document 151.↩
- Document 257.↩
- Printed from a copy that indicates Kyes signed the original.↩