DIRECTORS CONVERSATION WITH SENATOR JOHN STENNIS RE COMMUNITY REORGANIZATION AND UPCOMING COMMITTEE BRIEFING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000400110005-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 10, 2006
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: November 19, 1971
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/10/10: CIA-RDP74B00415R000400110005-7
19 November 1971
SUBJECT: Director's Conversation with Senator John Stennis
Re Community Reorganization and Upcoming
Committee Briefing
1. On 18 November 1971, in a phone conversation with the
Director, Senator Stennis said there was serious concern in his
Armed Services Committee over the effect of the recent reorganiza-
tion on the Director's responsibilities. Senator Stennis said he
wanted to be sure that the Director continued to be in charge of
CIA proper--that the Director was the only one who had been
confirmed by the Senate for this responsibility and Senator Stennis
didn't want a military man to run CIA anymore than he wanted the
Director to run the Army. The Director agreed.
2'. Senator Stennis said that at next week's Committee
hearing, the Director should "come prepared for anything" because
they had. had a blow up in the Committee regarding the problem of
oversight in the intelligence community. Senator Stennis said he
felt a responsibility as Chairman of the Committee but he had been
accused of dereliction of duty and there was a possibility that "he"
[presumably Senator Symington] might carry the issue to the floor.
3. Senator Stennis said he had looked into the law and it
appeared that the President's powers in such matters are very
broad but he wanted to be sure that Mr. Helms continued to run CIA.
4. The Director said he was worried about one problem
concerning net assessment. He said Secretary Laird and Mr.
Packard were very unhappy over this function being assigned to the
NSC. He recalled that under the Eisenhower Administration the
net assessment function had been performed in the NSC but under
McNamara it was taken over by Systems Analysis in the Pentagon,
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S E rR E
and now it was simply being brought back to the White House. The
Director noted that Laird was under the mistaken impression that it
had formerly belong to CIA.
5 In conclusion, Senator Stennis said he wanted to make sure
that "we keep these things in civilian hands. "
JOHN M. MAURY
egislative Counsel
Distribution:
Original - Committee file
1- Sen. Stennis
j- O&M
1- Chrono
SEOUL---]
Approved For Release 2006/10/10: CIA-RDP74B00415R000400110005-7