BRIEFING NOTES ON THE PROBLEMS OF RELATIONS WITH CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP01-01773R000300110034-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 27, 2007
• Sequence Number: 34
• Publication Date: June 7, 1957
• Content Type: MEMO

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7 June 1957
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MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Central Intelligence
SUBJECT: Briefing Notes on the Problem of Relations
-with Congressional Casmnitte~
PROBLEId
To what deer she ld CIA deal directly with Caatresaloasi
committees. apart fteot the normal ssgniremests for legislative pro-
posals and aaswl hoiget preeewtstioa?
DISCUSSION
ThLe problem has beam, brought into focus recently by a series
of statements in the Congress which appeared to leave considerable
doubt as to the quality of intelligence reporting and estimating. S=amples
are -
a. Somewhat equivocal statements by the Secretary of State
during the Middle East Resolution hearings to the general effect that the
United States was taken completely by surprise in the events of last Fall
in Egypt (TAD A).
b. Statements by Jamie Whitten, member of the House Appro-
priations Comnnittee, to the general effect that intelligence concerning
Soviet Russia is weak, and coarplaining that the Defense Subcommittee
always receives intelligence reports second or third-hand from military
people. and is never Petted to hear directly from the CIA. These
statements have a
!!O&*'" is Printed committee transcripts, committee
reports, and the Congressional Record.
C. Considerable discussion In printed transcripts and in the
Congressional Record on the subject of the revised estimate of Soviet
heavy bomber production, accompanied by references to the effect that
the Congress voted an additional $900, 000, 000 to the Air Force last
year on the basis of the previous estimate. which has since been reduced.
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4. l'?U? 1as state
- by A sgristiens C? neat C g . .
: of
ea Me s of the House.
~t ~~t ao seressiag an this Organization.
Z'*it is itself is sa won toe~th from the Congress.
to ezcessiva spending and
egirt building. I seriously question that it is earning-
by Coegrau=as Albert Thomas
el M.~ Csmittes. in a PrWed ?embss of the
ow cut "W trauxerspt'
'0" 010007 whole is vast" per aqua" lank two referring to
Y In this
ONWV 096M ttorornment.
hteCosa f- an Tbo "IDWing scats t by Majority Under John
__ . of the Houses
':It is flair to ask what has
I. be so caused as to slip so far as
deAft unprepared, as we were when the
ssrotntiaa broke oat OR Dc Hrian frse-
dP d to our intelligence on dare
the ments give pt#aaate urlain? How could ouur bin. place
that all was quiet behind the Iros Cu g it tells
when the people of Hungary tain
verge of total revolution? had for weeks been on the
These
on the security of the United are
qusstioss which bear States by those responsible for the collection and met be answered
international evaluation of
intelligence. ,.
!? Statements in a recent r
of the House Fol?eign A-ffairs criticising on of the European Subcommittee
and Sues crises, and coed intelligence as both the Hungarian
have a plan of action 18 the H that the failure of the Uni states to cri wejg
+unasss in car intelligence servic or asserious is indi rated either a serious
pS1i y rankers of the facts reported. application by the
East S 4- Statesaest by Coegressawn Zablocki. C the mmittee O? the Floor ! of the Hof~se ]Foreign Affairs, both to bairman thep press es Fnr
the effect that ress cad
to the Flo intelli an lavesUgatioa should be undertaken as
to failed to anticipate the recent trouble in Formosa.
By and large& these types of ailegatioas remain unanswered,
* GttwrVt
"I as disturbed *beat the cost of the CIA. We sPOud 25X1
~~~ Nrw~~d
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 Approved For Release 200
at lust insefas as the pails I. csa+etsnaed., Csstais of oar zeseientai
is as kmww that teals me" Sr. is erses. but brans : arot
bars lsseaeet oar tires art sera t~ ae- a Sew * to i
~sairsa. _
CIA aeets stash Tear with sebeet a of oar parent
ema~m~tteos,
BOU" and Saute Armed Services, tbeq sot 40 attsei as
world litre to We
_ ~Mo ~-~'+~ ?ibtsi satiee~m"s+es it Senate a"
des a~ rnostten write sear _ _ .
?~~ i - - ? ire ... l.. `._ _i. _ ..
(7r~u 1, i` Tae
AAA-
WOOMM Mw
OUT me
The
pax sip d In it Wltto Mows itrietia
as is tstats Ist Losdets
:, asdt t~tfe~r Srtsetrrir
Nerve, and Admiral Redford is a , brute as the ssae "jest
before the Fsrei$A Res and TOM W Ate
The
~~ A is on*" as Iftwoomilm
~~a~ittee
wrap be, ether requests fir
b y Foreign Affairs (o. S. ohs Zabioeid Satiao~treeitirs as the Fotirsronra
~. aaed we miLy be shod be war before a sabcommi ttee of
Hoes eraaaaaet aperaliaes, which hes bees assign. "Jeri adi ,
ever CIA by the tail eanmfbts+a0
Apart from reams beiese tsmsstteae al tses9
the Dioctmr end ether -CL! is have wed a a ber et oeataets
with bttdttridasl members of
Cat^greas? Members are detisiefid after trips
abre d, y by the Diesels tiisselft aced an a few scessj"w we
e our o"rebmw. meth at home and
is the field.
With the fsresslag as tits a the follewla j gestiewe
~raeit ~Oee~feaRt
a. Shoald we cantftare to pros for am" ('( w, wtu , Armed Services sad s with eels
Appswpriaaoas S
6' /1' t, U. Should we resist attenrim to tiara as appear heirsro other
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t, M1~ or late as *mum?
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