Foreign Relations of the United States, 1950–1955, The Intelligence Community, 1950–1955

168. Letter From Director of Central Intelligence Dulles to the Assistant Chief of Staff (G–2) of the Army (Trudeau)¹

Washington, January 25, 1954.

Dear General Trudeau:

In your letter of 24 December 1953² you suggested that problems relating to clandestine intelligence required a clarification of NSCID #5³ rather than an “Agreed Activities” paper.

NSCID #5 is a fundamental statement of policy. Prior to its issuance the underlying philosophies and problems were debated at length at all levels in the interested offices of the Executive Branch of the Government and by appropriate congressional groups. Each formal study of the problem of clandestine intelligence operations, after debate of the various views presented, came without exception to an acceptance of the principles reflected in NSCID #5.

A revision was issued on 28 August 1951⁴ to meet new conditions arising from the Korean War and the establishment of NATO, but the paper as revised is still a statement of basic responsibilities rather than an attempt to spell out the conditions that will govern all conceivable relationships and circumstances. There is, however, ample flexibility in the concept stated in NSCID #5 to meet all such circumstances, and changing needs can best be met by corollary agreements, based on NSCID #5, which can be readily achieved without calling into play the full machinery of the National Security Council, which inevitably would require a rather prolonged procedure.

Therefore, rather than seek a change in NSCID #5, I would prefer to pursue the problem of a coordinated program on the basis of the “Agreed Activities” paper which representatives of the Armed Services prepared in collaboration with representatives of this Agency, in June of last year. We are now awaiting with interest the return of this draft agreement which I understand the JIC ad hoc committee dealing with this problem planned to rework on the basis of comments from commanders in the field.

I would therefore urge that you use your influence to bring about early resumption of negotiation leading to a final “Agreed Activities” paper.

Sincerely,

Allen W. Dulles

⁵

1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry, Job 95–G00278R, Box 1, Folder 27. Secret. Drafted on January 4, and rewritten by C.P. Cabell on January 22. A legal opinion by CIA General Counsel Lawrence Houston is ibid.
2. Not printed. (Ibid., Folder 24)
3. See Foreign Relations, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment, Document 423.
4. Document 255.
5. Printed from a copy that indicates Dulles signed the original.