LETTER TO THE HONORABLE ALLEN DULLES FROM CHRISTIAN A. HERTER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R000200060008-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 15, 2004
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: January 6, 1961
• Content Type: LETTER

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THE SECRETARY OF STATE
WASHINGTON
January 6, 1961
I refer to the Joint Study Group Report (December 15, 1960) and the
43 recommendations made therein. Having considered the Group's report
I believe that initial affirmative action should be taken immediately on all
recommendations as they stand, except Nos. 5 and 18.
On recommendation No. 5, I propose that it be modified to place CIA
in direct charge of all clandestine collection operations abroad. The military
Services should retain capability for war-time employment by placing their
clandestine personnel in CIA bases under CIA direction but concentrating
upon targets set by military commanders.
At present, clandestine operations are being mounted by all three
military Services and the CIA. When complete coordination is not achieved
situations have developed embarrassing to the United States and often with
serious consequences to our foreign policy. I believe that a single coordinated
effort will, to a great degree, eliminate these difficulties.
I have discussed recommendation No. 18 with my Security Advisor. We
would like an opportunity to study the problem in some detail before I will be
prepared to offer my recommendation on this subject.
I take this opportunity to express my disagreement with one passage in
the text as distinct from the recommendations. On page 17 there is a remark
that "the Foreign Service still shows an indifference to intelligence." The
fact is, of course, that all reporting Foreign Service Officers are engaged
in intelligence, and are anything but indifferent to this aspect of their work.
It is also true that the focus of this work is largely the Bureaus of our Depart-
ment rather than the intelligence community, and it may be for this reason
that the Study
The Honorable
Allen Dulles,
Director of Central Intelligence,
Washington.
DOS, DIA reviews completed
TOP SEC RE T
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that the Study Group, concentrating as it did on community affairs, felt some
absence of relationship. I am, however, convinced that in respect of the
community's interests, our Foreign Service Officers have increasingly
developed an awareness of their responsibilities, to an extent which belies
the unqualified statement in the report. I further feel that the authors of the
report in using the word "intelligence" had in mind certain highly specialized
forms such as research or closely held operations which could not by their
nature concern the generality of Foreign Service Officers. I regret that
these distinctions were not brought out by proper qualifications of the
statement.
In general, I am happy to say that the report, which I have carefully
read, seems to me accurate and a notable contribution to improving our
intelligence efforts. Despite my couple of reservations, the Group is
heartily to be congratulated.
With warmest personal regards,
Most sincerely,
c
Christian A. Herter
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