FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL OPERATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R001100010009-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 27, 2002
• Sequence Number: 9
• Publication Date: October 25, 1946
• Content Type: MF

T
e 2002/09/04 : CIA-RDP80R0ITIW1 00/
CONFIDENT I PA- ......- ,....: _:._,, .
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October 25, 1946.
MEMORANDUM FOR: Assistant Director for Special Operations.
Assistant Director for Operations.
Chief, Interdepartmental Coordinating and Planning Staff.
Assistant Director for Collection and Dissemination.
Assistant Director for Research and Evaluation.
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SUBJECT: Functions of the Office of Special Operations.
1. The Office of Special Operations will function in accordance with
the following policies;
a. The mission of the Office of Special Operations is the conduct,
under the direct supervision of the Director, of all organized Federal
espionage and counterespionage operations outside the United States and its
possessions for the collection of foreign intelligence information required
for the national security. Such espionage and counterespionage operations
may involve semi-overt and semi-covert activities for the full performance
of the mission.
b. The Assistant Director for Special Operations will be directly
responsible to the Director of Central Intelligence for carrying out the
missions assigned him, for the security of operational material and methods
and for the collection of secret foreign intelligence information required by
the Office of Collection and Dissemination and other user departments and
agencies.
c. The Office of Special Operations will coordinate its field
collection activities with other agencies of the Central Intelligence Group
charged with comparable functions.
d. Al). intelligence information collected by the Office of Special
Operations will be put in usable form, graded as to source and reliability,
and delivered as spot information to the Office of Research and Evaluation
or to other departments and agencies when appropriate. The Office of Special
Operations will carry out no research and evaluation functions other than
those pertaining to counterespionage intelligence and to the grading of source
and reliability.
e. In order to provide a basis for grading future intelligence
information to be collected by the Office of Special Operations the informa-
tion collected will be carefully screened by the Office of Research and
Evaluation. The latter office will render a periodic report indicating the
intelligence value of information obtained in each area of operations.
f. Ordinarily requests for specific information will come from
the State, War, Navy and other departments and agencies through the Office
of Collection and Dissemination, where it will be determined that the Office
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Approved *Release 2002/09/0
of Special Operations is the proper agency to collect the desired informa-
tion. However, the Office of Special Operations is authorized to receive
directly from user departments or agencies requests for a specific action
or the collection of specific information when such requests are clearly with-
in the sphere of activity of the Office of Special Operations and the
particular type of desired information (or action) make such direct contact
necessary for security reasons. Such direct contact will be made through
the Office of Control, Special Operations, and corresponding offices in
the various departments and agencies. The Office of Special Operations
will maintain direct liaison with departments and agencies of the Federal
Government on secret operational matters, knowledge of which must be
restricted to the minimum number of persons.
E.,. The Office of Special Operations will be responsible for the
collection, processing, and distribution of foreign counterespionage intel-
ligence information and will be the repository for such information.
Intelligence derived from the processing of foreign counterespionage intel-
ligence information will be made available to the Office of Research and
Evaluation.
2. Major support services for the Office of Special Operations will
be provided by the Special Projects Division, Personnel and Administrative
Branch of the Executive Staff, Central Intelligence Group, under the
Ilkoperational direction of the Assistant Director for Special Operations.
3. In carrying out the policies stated above operational security
requirements will be strictly observed by all concerned.
?
FOR THE DIRECTOR OF CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE:
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ecutive to the Director.
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Approved For Release 2002/09/0.1A-RDP80R01731R001100010009-4
CON rqd_DE
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ITISTORIOATJ ilo6Mt_rf1/21:,
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:MEMORANDUM FOR THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS_,
SUBJECT: Functions of the Office of Special Operations
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1. The Office of Special Operations will function in accordance with
the following policies:
a. The mission of the Office of Special Operations is the conduct,
under the direct supervision of the Director, of all organized Federal espionage
and counterespionage operations outside the United States and its possessions
for the collection of foreign intelligence information required for the
national security. Such espionage and counterespionage operations may involve
semi-overt and semi-covert activities for the full performance of the mission.
b. The Assistant Director for Special Operations will be directly
responsible to the Director of Central Intelligence for carrying out the
missions assigned him, for the security of operational material and methods
and for the collection of secret foreign intelligence information required
the Office of Collection and Dissemination and other user departments and
agencies.
c. The Office of Special Operations will coordinate its field
collection activities with other agencies of the Central Intelligence Group
charged with comparable functions.
d. All intelligence information collected by the Office of Special
Operations will be put in usable form, graded as to source and reliability, and
delivered as spot information to the Office of Research and Evaluation or to
arzorelo
other departments and agencies whenA ? The Office of Special
Operations will carry out no research and evaluation functions other than those
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Approved "plea e
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pertaining to counterespionage intelligence and to the grading of source and
reliability.
e. In order to provide a basis for grading future intelligence in-
formation to be collected by the Office of Special Operations the information
collected will be carefully screened by the Office of Research and Evaluation.
The latter office will render a periodic report indicating the intellizence
value of information obtained in each area of operations.
f. Ordinarily requests for specific information will come from the
State, 4ar, Navy and other departments and agencies through the Office of
Collection and Dissemination, where it will be determined that the Office of
Special Operations is the proper agency to collect the desired information.
However, the Office of Special Operations is authorized to receive directly
from user departments or agencies requests for a specific action or the
collection of specific information when such requests are clearly within the
sphere of activity of the Office of Special Operations and the particular type
of desired information (or action) make such direct contact necessary for
security reasons. Such direct contact will be made through the Office of Con-
trol, Special Operations, and corresponding offices in the various departments
and agencies. The Office of Special Operations will maintain direct liaison
with departments and agencies of the Federal Government on secret operational
matters, knowledge of which must be restricted to the minimum number of persons.
g. The Office of Special Operations will be responsible for the
collection, processing, and distribution of foreign counterespionage intelligence
information and will be the repository for such information. Intelligence
derived from the processing of foreign counterespionage intellience information
will be made available to the Office of Research and Evaluation.
Approved For R 01731R001100010009-4
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2. Liajor support services for the Office of Special Operations will be
provided by the Special Projects Division, Personnel and Administrative Branch
of the Executive 3taff, Central Intelligence Group, under the operational
direction of the Assistant Director for Special Operations.
3. In carrying out the policies stated above operational security re-
quirements will be strictly observed by all concerned.
CONCUR:
Assistant Director for Special Operations:
Chief, ICAPS
HOYT S VAUDENBERG
Lieutenant General, USA
Director of Central Intelligence
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