Foreign Relations of the United States, 1969–1976, Volume II, Organization and Management of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1969–1972

278. Memorandum From Thomas Latimer of the National Security Council Staff to the President’s Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs (Haig)¹

Washington, June 21, 1972.

SUBJECT

• FBI Participation in NSC Intelligence Committee

John Ehrlichman has responded (Tab A)² to your memorandum of 29 May (Tab B)³ asking for his view on adding an FBI representative to the NSC Intelligence Committee. Your memorandum also suggested that the NSC Intelligence Committee: oversee the FBI’s counterintelligence and counterespionage activities; make certain that there is an effective FBI program for the collection of foreign intelligence domestically; and ensure full coordination between the Bureau and CIA in these matters.

In his memorandum to you, John Ehrlichman agrees with the idea of inviting an FBI representative to participate in the NSC Intelligence Committee in order to improve coordination and cooperation between the CIA and the FBI.

He believes, however, that it should be made clear that the oversight responsibility of the Intelligence Committee extends only to the cooperation and coordination aspects of the CIA and FBI counterintelligence and counterespionage activities and not to the activities themselves.⁴ This, he says, will ensure the fullest participation by both.

Ehrlichman also suggests that David Young sit in on meetings of the Intelligence Committee which deal with these matters since he has been doing some work in this area.

It is clear from Ehrlichman’s memo that he does not want HAK overseeing FBI activities now that there is a new leadership in the Bureau. Nevertheless, his agreement that HAK oversee coordination between CIA and the FBI leaves plenty of room to make sure that there is some improvement in that whole area.

Our next step probably ought to be to put the subject of FBI–CIA coordination in counterintelligence and counterespionage on the agenda of an NSC Intelligence Committee meeting and ask Acting Director Gray to bring along an FBI representative to the meeting. Russ Ash, Andy Marshall and I should be able to provide HAK with some talking points for such a meeting.

Recommendation

That Andy Marshall, in coordination with Russ and myself, prepare an item for the Intelligence Committee on this subject.⁵

1. Source: National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, NSC Files, Agency Files, Box 242, FBI, Vol. IV, 26 June 1970–27 July 1973. No classification marking. Sent for action.
2. Ehrlichman’s memorandum of June 10 is attached but not printed.
3. Document 275.
4. David Young, who drafted Ehrlichman’s response to Haig, told Ehrlichman that “he was not so sure the Committee should have such broad oversight responsibilities” as Haig envisioned in his May 29 memorandum and therefore he had drafted the response “to make it clear that the FBI’s participation should be limited to improving coordination and cooperation between the FBI and the CIA in the described areas.” (Memorandum to Ehrlichman, June 1; National Archives, Nixon Presidential Materials, White House Special Files, Staff Member and Office Files, David R. Young, Subject Files, Box 3, NSC Intelligence Committee)
5. Haig checked the approve option.