DELAY IN RECEIPT OF INFORMATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R001200050004-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 16, 2003
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: August 1, 1948
• Content Type: MF

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AYAORANDUM FORs The
jeett e1 *y in receipt of information
fonewint, fist
may deem approprtato.
4..erAWSIt
c
Atwust 190
The Joint ?at.1itenc. Couittse, U. , !sham', Moscow,
leted an intensive study of Povist igtsptions nuith the
stance of apseisliets in the various ~time of the
sy, including canon tatien with the !,111tary, Ravel and
tashes who concurred in its findinee."
b.AMILL-12as
The Ambassador sent a summary of the Y pert by teI.graa
to the Department of State. This teles'er did net reaoh the
Central Intelligence Agency through noratal ehannels. A copy
was received? however, through the Central Intellilenee Agenav' s
direct liaison with the Seoretaryle offine.
the same date, copies of the report itself r.su.eb17
transmitted br the Military, Naval and Air Attaches in Mescal.'
their respective departments.
On the same date, the Aghast's (5) caries
of the report by pouch to the Department of State, - "three
copies for the use of the Department, end NMO smith for trans,-
mission by the Department, if it so desires, to the Department
of Defense and to the Director of Centre] Tntelligenee."
d
Amp. 1). 1948
Copy No.1 of the report was received hr the Office
er qacretary of State.
Ina hag interdepertaental omit ee lolled by the Director
of InteUienae, loners' Staff, U. S. Army, chairimented by the
Din. I Intelligence Agency, and whieh ineluded a Department of
7.4."
State Department review completed
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sentative, carried out a contieuing study of Soviet
As far as in known, no member of this inter-
1 committee had access to the report from our
say in '10 scow on the same subject.
0,
On this date, thre. and one-half aontba after it had bum
Tao 'god by the Department of state, Go o. 1 of the report
was transmitted to the Central Intellieenes Ageney.
2. This delay has explosive possibilities. If it bee= known to
ortties, political or otherwise, of the Administration, it would be mate to
serve as an example of bungling and Incompetence In the intelligence struc-
ture. Blame would be wide-spread, on the Department of State, the National
Security Coulson, the Central Intelligenoe Agency, ate. It might be noted
that hostilities with Russia might well have broksa out during the three
and a half month period, and it would be suggested that, bad as the inter
departmental liaison had been before Pearl Harbor, Whe situation in 194.8
WS3 far worse. The implicationa of such a possible criticise are obvious.
3. On a separate, though related subject, I should like to ask your
aseietanee in resolving almost the lame problem; 1.1., that of being as
nearly certain as possible that all intelligence informatton does, in fa*
reach ell of the persona Who Should have it. The various Conaressiemal
committesreports on the Pearl Nerbor Investigation repeatedly stressed the
fact that there wits plenty of information in Washieqten at the time of Pearl
Harbor, but that its disseninativn was very mach at fault. During the hear-
ings on the National Security Let of 190, the abovoi point of inadequate
dissemination of available intelligence was brought up time and tins again.
All of the executive departments or agencies would be in a very embarressing
position should an analogous situation come to ltbt at soy future tine.
4. In each of the Departments Infarmation of Lntelligence value from
an fields is normally received in and distributed ar central communica-
centers and mailrooms. Distribution is apparently through three
te ohannels
a. To Departmental Secretaries and Service Chiefs of Staff en a
very restricted (Ayes Only) basis. No farther distribution is
made exeept by direction of senior *Metals is the offices of
the Secretaries and Chiefs of Staff sonaerned.
b. To officials emerged with operational ruperristoo and action.
Such officials apparently have final authority to determine
whether further distribution shall be made for intelligence
purposes.
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c. To the intelligence agencies of the Departments. In general
there are definite indications that this /mediate distribution
fremently does not contain the informatior under g. and k. above.
5. To attempt to roach a "middle war between the extremes (1) of
being too inquisitive and seeing things not needed, and (2) of not getting
some essential piece of information, the following procedure is suggested
as a basis for dismission to get the answer to this question.
a. Properly qualified, cleared and selected Central Intelligence
Agenay representatives to be permitted to review the daily intake
of all material not disseminated to departmental intelligence
agencies to determine those items which mar be of overall intelli-
gence value.
b. Departmental Seeretaries or their reprw.ntatives to be
authorised to restrict further dissemination by the Central
Intelligens* Agency of material not considered suitable for
further dissemination when they may consider such restriotioa
desirable,
H. R. HILLMMETTER
Rear Admiral, USN
Director of Central Intelligence
Distribution:
Orig. to Mr. George l'Tennan, State
2 cc - DCI
Note for record: See ER 0375, 7/22/48, conf. 111,31110 to DCI from Exc. for
A&M, "Dissemination of intelligence information"
w/2 encls Ltr frm Mr. Armstnpng, State, 7/19/48, ER
0382; Memo frm ICAPS 7/19/48, ER 0375.
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Approved For Release 2003/10/29 : CIA-RDP80R01731R001200050004-4