Office of the Historian

93. Memorandum From the Assistant Director for Special Operations (Wyman) and the Assistant Director for Policy Coordination of the Central Intelligence Agency (Johnston) to Director of Central Intelligence Smith1

Washington, November 14, 1951.

SUBJECT

  • Draft Report on Special Operations
1.
From early October until the present date, OPC/OSO and members of the Joint Subsidiary Plans Division have engaged in the consideration of three successive drafts of a JCS paper, subject as above.
2.
This paper is of utmost significance to CIA’s responsibilities for war planning in both Europe and for any extension of NATO to the Middle East. It established three principles:
a.
That overall guidance for clandestine activities at SHAPE or any NATO countries to be established, will be channeled through the Standing Group, Washington, D.C.
b.
That, while in time of war Commanders within NATO will exercise operational control of U.S. clandestine resources in direct support of military operations to the extent necessary to ensure coordination, the command of such resources will be retained in both peace and war by the U.S.
c.
It reaffirms the NSC directive that clandestine operations conducted in active Theaters of War where American Forces are engaged will come under the American Theater Commander or such other U.S. Commanders as may be designated by the JCS. (The problems of U.S. command responsibilities in Europe are currently under discussion. The outcome of these discussions will determine whether CIA will be responsive to a single U.S. Commander or some other U.S. military mechanism.)
3.
The subject paper recommends in paragraph 3.h, page 5, Enclosure “A,”2 the establishment of an “ad hoc” committee under the Standing Group to advise it on clandestine matters. It will be noted that the proposed DCI memorandum reserves the right later to ask for establishment of a permanent committee if such is considered necessary.
4.
Similarly, the subject paper, in paragraph 21., suggests direct coordination between OSO and JCS, through the JSPD. In the proposed DCI memorandum to the Chief, JSPD, concurrence is made with the principle advanced, but resolution of what office is to handle the direct coordination is left to the JCS as an internal matter.
5.
In the main, the Report of the JSPD to the JCS guards our respective OPC and OSO interests and those of CIA as a whole;3 and agreeable to the request contained in paragraph 2. of TS 62654 (Tab “A”),4 it is recommended that the accompanying memorandum from DCI to the Chief of the Joint Subsidiary Plans Division, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, be signed and dispatched.
  • W. G. Wyman
  • Kilbourne Johnston
  1. Source: Central Intelligence Agency, Executive Registry, Job 80–B01731R, Box 8, Folder 333. Top Secret; Security Information.↩
  2. According to the list of enclosures at the end of the memorandum, Enclosure “A” was a memorandum from the DCI to the Chief, JSPD. It has not been found.↩
  3. The enclosed draft report, identified as Enclosure “B,” has not been found.↩
  4. Tab “A” was a memorandum from JSPD to the DCI, dated October 26, not found.↩