LETTER TO ALLEN W. DULLES, ESQUIRE FROM DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R000300010002-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 18, 2006
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: July 26, 1954
• Content Type: LETTER

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Prir THE '0111TE kIDLISk.
WASHINGTON
26 July 1954
Allen W. Dulles, Esquire
Director of Central Intelligence
Washington, D. C.
Deer Mr. Dulles:
I am sending you herewith a copy of my letter of today's
date to Lt. GOA. James H. Doolittle, usaa, requesting hit to
act as Chairman of a panel of consultants to review the covert
activities of tae Central Intelligence Agency under the conditions
and for the purposes set forth in that letter. You will kindly
extend to General Doolittle the facilities necessary to enable
him and his associates to carry out this $tudy including access
to any and all irifcamation relating to the covert activities of
CIA.
Sincerely,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
meL
LlOP.11CDq
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IBS WHITE HOWE
WASHIMOTON
Lt. Oen. James H. Doolittle, USAPR
Washington, D. C.
2 Ju1y X95
lies
Bet Panel of Consultants on Covert Activities
of the Central Intelligence Agency
General Doolittle:
I have requested you, end you have salmi, to act as Chairman
of a panel of consultants to conduct a study of the covert activities of
the Central Intelligence Agency. With your concurrence I have invited
Messrs. William I. Franke, Merle Hadley, and William holey to
act with you as members of the panel. Mr. S. Pool Johnston ha* Med-
ly agreed to serve as ft:cativo Director of the panel.
It Is my desire that the Panel of Consultants should undertake a
comprehensive study of the covert activities of the Central Intelligence
Agency, in icular those carried out under the term of MID #3
of August 0 1931, and /SC 542 of March 15. 1954. You will consider
the personnel factors, the security, the adequacy, the efficacy and the
relative costs of these operations and, as far as possible, equate the
cost of the over-all efforts to the results achieved. You viii make any
recommendations calculated to improve the conduct of these operations.
To the extent that agencies of the Government, other than the Central
Intelligence Agency, are engaged in covert operations which may
parallel, duplicate, or supplement the operations of CIA, you may
investigate such other operations conducted by any other department
or agency of the Government in order to insure, insofar as practicable,
that the field of foreign clandestine operations is adequately covered
and that there is no unnecessary duplication of effort or expense.
In view of the particularly sensitive nature of these covert operations,
their relation to the conduct of our foreign policy, and the fact that these
sensitive operations are carried on pursuant to *Atonal Hecurity Council
action eeproved by me, I desire that your report be made to me personally
and classified TOP SECRET. I will determine whether or not the report
or any pert thereof should have any further dissemination. r should
appreciate it if your report could be available to me prior to October 1
1954.
As you know, the Commission on Cronimation of the Inecutive
Branch of the Government, generally known as the Mover Consission,
is constituting a 2hak /brae to study and slake recommeastions with
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respect to the organisation and methods of operations of the CIA. General
Mark W. Clark hes been designated by Mr. Hoover to head this Test
Force which, I understand, will probably be organized and start its work
sometime in September next. Udder the law constituting the Hoover
Commiesion, the Task Force ahall stud:" and investigate the present
organisation and methods of operation of the Agency to determine what
changes therein are necessary to accomplish the policzi of Cong:,--ess to
promote economy, efficiency, and improved service by:
a. recommending methods and procedures for reducing
expenditures to the lowest amount consistent with the efficiat
performance of essential services, activities and functions;
b. eliminating duplication and overlapping of services,
activities, and functions;
c. consolidating services, activities, and functions of a
similar nature;
d. abolishing marvices, activities, and functions not
necessary to the efficient conduct of Government
e. eliminating nonessential service*, functions, and
activities which are competitive with private enterprise,
f. defining responsibilities of officials and
g. relocating agencies now responsible directly to
the President in departments or other agencies.
As the work of the Hoover Task Force will get under way ahortly,
suggest that you and General Clark confer in order to avoid any un-
neceseary duplication of vork as between you. The distincticm between
the work of your Study Group and of the Hoover Task Force is this:
You will. deal with the covert activities of the kIA
as indicated in paragraph (2) above, and your
report will be submitted to me. General Clark's
Task home will deal largely with the organization
and methods of operation of the CIA and other
related agencies within the limits prescribed in
the law as outlined in paragraph (4) above. 1e-
ports of the Hoover Commission are made to the
Congress.
The purpose of these studies, both that of the Hoover Task Force
and that of your Group, is to insure that the United States Government
develops an appropriate mechanism for carrying out its over-all intel-
ligence responsibilities and the related covert operations. I consider
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these operations are essential to our national security in these days
when international Communism is aggressively pressing its world-vide
subversive program.
Si ocerel,y,
Dwight D. Eisenhower
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