Office of the Historian

255. National Security Council Intelligence Directive No. 5 Revised1

Washington, August 28, 1951.

ESPIONAGE AND COUNTERESPIONAGE OPERATIONS

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 102 (d) of the National Security Act of 1947,2 the National Security Council hereby authorizes and directs that:

1.
The Director of Central Intelligence shall conduct all organized Federal espionage operations outside the United States and its possessions for the collection of foreign intelligence information required to meet the needs of all Departments and Agencies concerned, in connection with the national security, except for certain agreed activities by other Departments and Agencies.
2.
The Director of Central Intelligence shall conduct all organized Federal counterespionage operations outside the United States and its possessions and in occupied areas, provided that this authority shall not be construed to preclude the counter-intelligence activities of any army, navy or air command or installation and certain agreed activities by Departments and Agencies necessary for the security of such organizations.
3.
The Director of Central Intelligence shall be responsible for coordinating covert and overt intelligence collection activities.
4.
When casual agents are employed or otherwise utilized by an IAC Department or Agency in other than an overt capacity, the Director of Central Intelligence shall coordinate their activities with the organized covert activities.
5.
The Director of Central Intelligence shall disseminate such intelligence information to the various Departments and Agencies which have an authorized interest therein.
6.
All other National Security Council Intelligence Directives or implementing supplements shall be construed to apply solely to overt intelligence activities unless otherwise specified.
7.
In an occupied area, the representative of the Director of Central Intelligence will coordinate espionage and counterespionage operations in or from the area with the senior U.S. Representative and keep the Senior U.S. Military Commander informed in general of the clandestine collection activities conducted by DCI in or from such area.
8.
In an area other than theaters of war or occupied areas, the representative of the Director of Central Intelligence will keep the senior U.S. Representative appropriately advised of the espionage and counterespionage operations in or from the area.
9.
When CIA requires Service support for espionage and counterespionage projects, such support as may be authorized by the Department of Defense will be planned jointly with the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
10.
In time of war or when the President directs, the Director of Central Intelligence will coordinate espionage and counterespionage operations in or from a theater of active military operations with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In active theaters of war, where American forces are engaged, representatives of the Director of Central Intelligence conducting espionage and counterespionage operations in or from the theater shall be under the direct command of the United States theater commander.

  1. Source: National Archives, RG 273, NSCIDs. Top Secret. This revision of NSCID No. 5, December 12, 1947 (see Foreign Relations, 1945–1950, Emergence of the Intelligence Establishment, Document 423) added paragraphs 7–10. These paragraphs were proposed by the Department of Defense and circulated to the NSC under cover of July 30 and August 8 memoranda from NSC Executive Secretary Lay. (Truman Library, President’s Secretary’s Files, Subject File) The revised NSCID No. 5 was approved by the NSC by memorandum action on August 28 (NSC Action No. 534). It was circulated to Council members by Lay by a memorandum of the same date. (Ibid.)↩
  2. 61 Stat. 495–510.↩