Dear Mr. Webb

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-01082A000200050001-3
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 20, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 1, 1950
• Content Type: LETTER

,Approved For Release 1999909/21
'1ar'1 ,:3: r~aa, ARe lptq
The Hosnor4bl.e
the Under Se=etary of State
Departent of- State
Wra, n 25 Do C.
Dear Mr Webb:
The State-Defense Staff Study of 1 kiay 19501, on
tics of %tional Intel, Ligencer'., transmit . with :T)ur, le te:
of 7 July for my comments, i its up the con l? t ..nag t aeo? id s
'which have pre nrt.:led s nce the inception of Cii on t"n . resIx)-usi-
bill-ty wit in our Go rn n;t for intelligence relatin to F:4,Ie
national security, i. e. , a responsible single Director sus
a committee of co--equal. directors of the seal ligen e
agencies
The proposals set forth the Staff Study would be so
radical a. departure from the concept of the Central Intelliygpnee
Agency as envisaged by the Congress that there exists at present
no legal authority to adopt them
As an indication of this Co ess onal inte:xts I quc
the stmt ce, nt of the Chairman of the Special Suaocomwdttee ca,,
tae Howe Expenditures Committee Investigating Irx~ ,"~3 L a^e i.ct1
v +VLes of the Government (at the tine of the ]kg
3.6 April 1948: o crisis) dated
'clt may be necessary for Congress to ecot 3 i-
ti.onal legislation to give the CIS. the i .~depend
scat stbatus it was generals pz?esumed to enjoy , ~ r
Ow Central. intell~t gence Agerny m wt be protected
agat censorshtp or intimi&ti.on by any asm of
Via E eutive Bran . ,,',
This posit .oa has been ropeated3y rude clear to me
hall, every c ittee session I have attended since asww.ng
the Direct ahipa It is also a fact that in times of on^i;1
the appropriate Congressional Committees ha ~-e alays s led on
the Director of Central. l .elli.gence for an accosting and for
briefing on the intelligence situation. T ho Con ess has alhrm
de it amply clear in these situations that it holds the Directs ,,
DOCUMENT NO.
NO CHANGE IN CLASS. ^
O DECLASSIFIED
kL CLASS. CHANGED TO-
NEXT REVIEW BATE
Approved For Release 1999/09721 : CIA-RDP79-01+0# 12
DATE REVIEWER: 006514
 Approved For Release 1999/09/21 :CIA-A000200050001-3
this ~:o r cor .ete l.y :~e 7,p-orsi) e to t. e field of fore.igrz
i t.ei .ge. $ , an el it esu es ::fiat s is Age Agency has the rec isi
to ers aryl `horit.les to nalu,, that responsibility offeettre in,
the interests of our rational s urity0
The eV.* st of your b a,;U `:tom is to abrogate the statutory
e ,,)onsi:bii :ty for the p:rnd: ti,on of n tion , toiligence of
the Centrs 1. , 17.1.ge e A 3p m y and shift it as a col1ect3 e re-
&3ponasibUit r to a co ,ittee, This is specified in ; ter st By as
fo.c:
?1fnt.3.j the a ?n-g : ce of a nati.,a 23. estimate Or
p;jasi from the collective re o b 131ty
b
7 0 a .,
inescapable ta-der the Act of 39
e Lail statutory responsibility of the D}/CI
for the rzroduatlon of ' natioriz.l intel ige
becortes ope'ati'vs o aten o . o final drafts
or Miens. estimates or studLes are recd nded
the IAC to the D/C10"
got only does the National. Security Act eonte: l to no such
, in m c; 509 the Natiom l
tri "In of collective responsibiiittr, but
,
Exhr Security Cootar 3..l specifically disavowed this doctrine in the fol-
1 r 1 age v
11,.' . we do not believe that the Director and
the IhC should be bound by the concept of co:Llect. u-e responsibility because this would ins-,O tably
reduce coordinated national intelligence to the
pest coffin denoird for among the ager$.ims
Careful thought and study has been given to the existing
ICIS I in Its relation, to the statutory responsibilities of this
kgencya The resent di,.cti-tes and their implementation have not,
been satis??'ectox 'a `.'here has been prepared for si, ission to the
National x- vi Council a t asic "I v ii ch is attached her?evitth
for your infori .on. This draft cleaOy establishes the milt
antlhorit3el .necessary to en h this Agency to fulfil. its status:-
tory responii : .ties and l i ise establishes the responsibili. ie.s
of the det rr,ta .. agencies in support of national intelligences
Separate specific ecu nts on your Staff Sturdy are. also attached',
I is noted that you propose to si It yon- Staff Study with
its proposed NSC Directive direct to the NS.w% It is therefore
requested that our ' convents and the iDe e accompany your
suu.as:Lon0
Approved For Release 1999/09/21 : CIA-RDP79-01082A000200050001-3
 Approved For Release 1999/09121 : CIA-RDP79-01082A000200050001-3
A3 a natter of ptra al el inter t :r & beep:: inStD of
by the N3C to consider- -' :, norm 1. NSC D pro* educe the f'allovd,ig?v
quoted comments of the Se atary of Defense., and to mibmit mmi7n. rw
dations in connection therei&t-h:
III' do not fa' the I AC co ttents on RECOI ! E I i)ATIOTN
8 to be convincing. Existing di r tim ft B. far
short of coSYal g to ps thx urgent and recognt;-
able probl of co bion of i elli.gence in
lWashi.n n and overseas. Furthermore,. I do not
concede that the trather e]aba ate coma ttee
tri tre 4 is either inevitable or desirables.
On the contrary, it is a V belief that the intricate
com ittee s mtnre is the cor, equence of cc *o--
lise3 created by inter-bureau rivalries rather
than the resalts of objective study of inte li-
genr.,? organization.
Dependable conclusions from :t * * i teLligence,
as from a any other subject matter of national
intelligence, should result from evaluation and
synthesis within the framework of the Central
Ageney for all a lable material from every
Federal source. Final re.'iponsi.bility for coor-?
di .ting the cotilecti on of this to rial as well
as its processing, should rest squarely in the
same agemyp l1i th that responsibility shou3d
go corresponding authority, which now is ambi-
guous and obscured in the present interlocking
camnitteo uc -urea
In vim of of instructions. from the in connection with
this statement,, it would in any case be incumbent on this Agency
to submit our proposed revision of the ZJSCID through normal chan-
nels as it reflects our considered opinion of what is ne .d as
a proper foundation for the national intelligence mission. ftaftaP.
r s- ~ yr ti : xa~ n w3 tbhe - pcatng,. yot -dime
Si2Erely,
(Silted)
R. H a Hi,.li.enkoetter
R 11 a f L, f,1 NKO E
Rear Adntra l$ USLT
Dire. for of Central Inte]f gex. e
2 Inals:
Basic USCIt)
Approved For Release 1999/0
00200050001-3