PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES ON INTELLIGENCE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86B00269R000800030001-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 37
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 1
• Content Type: REPORT

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PRESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES
ON
INTELLIGENCE
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY ? OFFICE OF TRAINING
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Until World War II, American intelligence
activities were sporadic and usually unknown to
most Americans. Even when they were known, they
were almost unwillingly acknowledged. Presidents
of the United States, who have always borne the
responsibility for the national security, have
made statements over the years that have both
acknowledged. the existence of intelligence
activities and revealed their importance in
support of governmental policies and functions.
From these presidential statements on the
subject of intelligence service, highlights or "quotable quotes" -- have been extracted
and are presented in this pamphlet. Although
the statements of George Washington were
written while he was the Commanding General
during the American Revolution, they are
significant enough to warrant inclusion here.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
OFFICE OF TRAINING - APRIL 1969
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(In the American Revolution
there was no centralized intel-
ligence organization in any mod-
ern concept of the word. The
Americans and British both em-
ployed agents to secure neces-
sary information on troop de- {,
ployments and strengths, and
there were officers specifically cha*rg
with intelligence functions, although almost
without exception these were coupled wit
other line duties. Thus, Major John Andre'
handled intelligence matters for the British
General Clinton in New York and, when Andre'
became Adjutant General of the British Armies
in America, he continued to handle certain
special intelligence cases, including the de-
fection of General Benedict Arnold from West Point.
General Forman, a line officer in New Jersey,
was Washington's intelligence chief in that area
for a time. As an example, General Forman wrote
Governor Livingston of New Jersey in February 1782
that "I presume Your Excellency is not unacquainted
that I am at the particular request of General
Washington impZoyed in obtaining intilegence
respecting the enemies movements at New York &c.
By the Generals Letter to me of the 25 Inst. he
in a very pointed manner asks my particular
exertions as affairs at this time demand the best
Intilegence."
General Washington kept a very close tab on
all intelligence matters and was perhaps the most
brilliant American intelligence officer prior to
General William Donovan, Director of OSS. General
Washington often directed intelligence requirements
and made his own estimates of the situation. lie
directed psychological warfare campaigns and had a
"touch" for intelligence activities which was
extremely fine.)
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General Washington's appreciation of intel-
ligence is set forth in a letter he wrote to
Colonel Elias Dayton, then his intelligence chief
in New Jersey, dated 26 July 1777. In it he stated:
"The necessity of procuring good Intelligence
is apparent & need not be further urged -- all
that remains for me to add, is, that you keep the
whole matter as secret as possible. For upon
Secrecy, Success depends in most Enterprizes of
the kind, and for want of it, they are generally
defeated, however well planned and promising a
favourable issue."
"I have received your Letter of the 4th.
containing an apology for sending an agreeable
piece of Intelligence which you have since
discover'd to be false; mistakes of this kind
are not uncommon and most frequently happen to
those whose zeal and sanguineness allow no room
for scepticism when anything favourable to their
country is plausibly related."
Letter from General Washington,
11 November 1777, to Daniel
Clymer, Deputy Commissary
General of Prisoners.
(Three of General Washington's best spies
were seized for prosecution by the American
authorities in New Jersey, under misapprehension
and that they were British agents. These prisoners
could not disclose their true role. However,
Washington learned of their capture and wrote,
the Governor of New Jersey for their release.)
"Upon these Considerations I hope you will
put.a stop to the prosecution, unless other,
matters appear against.t.hem. You must be well
convinced, that it is indispensibly necessary
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to make use of these means to procure intelli-
gence. The persons employed must bear the
suspicion of being thought inimical, and it is
not in their powers to assert their innocence,
because that would get abroad and destroy the
confidence which the Enemy puts in them."
Letter from General Washington
to Governor William Livingston,
20 January 1778.
"I thank you for the trouble you have
taken in forwarding the intelligence which was
inclosed in your Letter of the 11th of March.
It is by comparing a variety of information,
we are frequently enabled to investigate facts,
which were so intricate or hidden, that no
single clue could have Zed to the knoweldge of
them in this point of view, intelligence
becomes interesting which but from its connection
and collateral circumstances, would not be
important."
Letter from General Washington
to James Lovell
1 April 1782.
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(In 1846, certain
members of the House Com-
mittee on Foreign Affairs
raised a furor over the
alleged misuse of foreign
intercourse funds by
Daniel Webster while ser-
ving as Secretary of
State. Portions of these
funds, known as "secret
service funds," were
available for unvouchered
use on the certificate of
the President as to their
expenditure for confiden-
tial purposes. A resolu-
tion of the House of
Rep 'esentatives r euested President James K. Polk to
furish the House with all records of expenditures of
these confidentiail1secret service funds during
Webster's tenure as Secretary of State under Presidents
Harrison and Tyler. In denying the request of the
House of Representatives, President Polk wrote:)
"The experience of every nation on earth has
demonstrated that emergencies may arise in which
it becomes absolutely necessary for the public
safety or the public good to make expenditures the
very object of which would be defeated by pubZi-
city. ... In no nation is the application of such
sums ever made public. In time of war or impend-
ing danger the situation of the country may make
it necessary to employ individuals for the purpose
of obtaining information or rendering other
important services who could never be prevailed
upon to act if they entertained the least appre-
hension that their names or their agency would in
any contingency be divulged. So it may often
become necessary to incur an expenditure for an
object highly useful to the country; ... But this
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object might be altogether defeated by the
intrigues of other powers if our purposes were
to be made known by the exhibition of the
original papers and vouchers to the accounting
officers of the Treasury. It would be easy to
specify other cases which may occur in the history
of a great nation, in its intercourse with other
nations, wherein it might become absolutely neces-
sary to incur expenditures for objects which could
never be accomplished if it were suspected in
advance that the items of expenditure and the
agencies employed would be made public."
President Polk's Message
to the House of Represen-
tatives, 20 April 1846
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"The insurgents had
been preparing for [the
Civil War] more than thirty
years, while the government
had taken no steps to resist
11 them. The former had care-
fully considered all the
means which could be turned
to their account. It un-
doubtedly was a well pon-
dered reliance with them
that in their own unrestric-
ted effort to destroy Union,
constitution, and law, all
together, the government
would, in great degree, be
es constitution and law, from
e'ir'`?progrs . Their sympathizers
departments'`-'of the government, and
ommunities of the people. From this
materiaZ,'`u1der cover of 'Liberty of speech'
'Liberty of the press' and 'Habeas corpus' they
hoped to keep on foot amongst us a most efficient
corps of spies, informers, supplyers, and aiders
and abettors of their cause in a thousand ways.
They knew that in times such as they were inaugu-
rating, by the constitution itself, the 'Habeas
corpus' might be suspended; but they also knew they
had friends who would make a question as to who
was to suspend it; meanwhile their spies and others
might remain at large to help on their cause.'
Letter from President Abraham Lincoln
to Erastus Corning and others,
12 June 1863, shortly before the
battle of Gettysburg.
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"Apropos of your mem-
orandum of November 18, 1944,
relative to the establishment
of a central intelligence
service, I should appreciate
your calling together the -
chiefs of the foreign inteZ-
ligence and internal security
units in the various execu-
tive agencies, so that a con-
sensus of opinion can be
secured.
"It appears to me that
all of the ten executive de-
partments, as well as the
Foreign Economic Administration, and the Federal
Communications Commission have a direct interest
in the proposed venture. They should all be
asked to contribute their suggestions to the pro-
posed centralized inteZZigence service."
Memorandum from President
Roosevelt to the Director
of OSS, Major General William
J. Donovan, 5 April 1945.
Written just a week before
the President's death, it
authorizes Donovan to con-
tinue planning for a post-war
centralized intelligence service.
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"I considered it very im-
portant to this country to
have a sound, well-organized
intelligence system, both in
the present and in the future.
Properly developed, such a
service would require new
concepts as well as better-
trained and more competent
personnel. ... it was imper
ative that we refrain from
rushing into something that
would produce harmful and un
necessary rivalries among the
I told Smith [Director of the Bureau ofe
Budget] that one thing was certain -- this
country wanted no Gestapo under any guise
or for any reason."
various intelligence agencies.
Memoirs by Harry S.
Truman, Volume One:
Year of Decisions.
(pp. 98-99)
"A President has to know what is going on all
around the world in order to be ready to act when
action is needed. The President must have all the
facts that may affect the foreign policy or the
military policy of the United States. ...
"Before 1946 such information as the Presi-
dent needed was being collected in several dif-
ferent places in the government. The War Depart-
ment had an Intelligence Division -- G-2 -- and the
Navy had an intelligence setup of its own -- the
ONI. The Department of State, on the one hand,
got its information through diplomatic channels,
while the Treasury and the Departments of
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Commerce and Agriculture each had channels for
gathering information from different parts of
the world -- on monetary, economic, and agricul-
tural matters.
"During World War II the Federal Bureau
of Investigation had some operations abroad,
and in addition the Office of Strategic Services,
which was set up by President Roosevelt during
the war and placed under the direction of General
William J. Donovan, operated abroad to gather
information.
"This scattered method of getting informa-
tion for the various departments of the govern-
ment first struck me as being badly organized
when I was in the Senate. Our Senate committees,
hearing the witnesses from the executive depart-
ments, were often struck by the fact that dif-
ferent agencies of the government came up with
different and conflicting facts on similar subjects.
It was not at first apparent that this was due to
the un-co-ordinated methods of obtaining informa-
tion. Since then, however, I have often thought
that if there had been something like co-ordination
of information in the government it would have been
more difficult, if not impossible, for the Japan-
ese to succeed in the sneak attack at Pearl Harbor.
In those days the military did not know everything
the State Department knew, and the diplomats did
not have access to all the Army and Navy knew.
The Army and the Navy, in fact, had only a very
informal arrangement to keep each other informed
as to their plans.
"In other words, there had never been much
attention paid to any centralized intelligence
organization in our government. Apparently the
United States saw no need for a really comprehen-
sive system of foreign intelligence until World
War II placed American fighting men on the
continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa and on the
islands of the Atlantic and the Pacific.
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"The war taught us this lesson -- that we had
to collect intelligence in a manner that would
make the information available where it was need-
ed and when it was wanted, in an intelligent and
understandable form. If it is not intelligent
and understandable, it is useless.
"On becoming President, I found that the
needed intelligence information was not co-ordina-
ted at any one place. Reports came across my desk
on the same subject at different times from the
various departments, and these reports often con-
flicted. Consequently I asked Admiral Leahy if
anything was being done to improve the system.
Leahy told me that in 1944, at President Roosevelt's
direction, he had referred to the Joint Chiefs of
Staff a plan for centralized intelligence work
prepared by General Donovan. This plan, so Leahy
told me, provided for an organization directly under
the President and responsible only to him. The
Navy, however, had worked out a counterproposal
under which there would be a central agency to
serve as an over-all intelligence organization, but
with each of the departments responsible for
national security having a stake in it. Much of
the original work on this project was done by Rear
Admiral Sidney W. Souers, Deputy Chief of Naval
Intelligence.
"Sometime later I asked Secretary of State
Byrnes to submit his recommendations for a way to
co-ordinate intelligence services among the
departments, explaining that I had already asked
Leahy to Zook into the subject but that I wanted
the State Department's recommendations since the
State Department would need to play an important
role in the operation.
"Secretary Byrnes took the position that
such an organization should be responsible to
the Secretary of State and advised me that he
should be in control of all intelligence. The
Army and the Navy, on the other hand, strongly
objected. They maintained that every depart-
ment required its own intelligence but that
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there was a great need for a central organization
to gather together all information that had to do
with over-all national policy. Under such an
organization there would be a pool of information,
and each agency would contribute to it. This
pool would make it possible for those who were
responsible for establishing policies in foreign
political and military fields to draw on author-
itative intelligence for their guidance.
"In January 1946 I held a series of meetings
in my office to examine the various plans sug-
gested for a centralized intelligence authority."
Memoirs by Harry S. Truman
Volume Two: Years of Trial
and Hope. (pp. 55-57)
"Whether it be treason or not, it does the
United States just as much harm for military
secrets to be made known to potential enemies
through open publication, as it does for military
secrets to be given to an enemy through the
clandestine operations of spies. ...
"...I do not believe that the best solution
can be reached by adopting an approach based on
the theory that everyone has a right to know our
military secrets and related information affect-
ing the national security."
President Truman's News
Conference, 4 October 1951.
"When I became President -- if you don't
mind me reminiscing a little bit -- there was
no concentration of information for the benefit
of the President. Each department and each
organization had its own information service,
and that information service was walled off from
every other service in such a manner that when-
ever it was necessary for the President to have
information, he had to send to two or three
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departments to get it, and then he would have to
have somebody do a little digging to get it. ...
"...And finally one morning I had a conver-
sation with Admiral Leahy, and suggested to him
that there should be a Central Intelligence Agency,
for the benefit of the whole Government as well as
for the benefit of the President, so he could be
informed.
"And the Admiral and I proceeded to try to
work out a program. It has worked very success-
fully. We have an intelligence information service
now that I think is not inferior to any in the
world.
We have the Central Intelligence Agency, and
all the intelligence information agencies in all
the rest of the departments of the Government,
coordinated by that Central Intelligence Agency.
This agency puts the information of vital import-
ance to the President in his hands. He has to
know what is going on everywhere at home and abroad,
so that he can intelligently make the decisions
that are necessary to keep the government running. ...
"...You are the organization, you are the
intelligence arm that keeps the Executive informed
so he can make decisions that always will be in the
public interest for his own country, hoping always
that it will save the free world from involvement
with the totalitarian countries in an aZZ-out war --
a terrible thing to contemplate.
"Those of you who are deep in the Central
Intelligence Agency know what goes on around the
world -- know what is necessary for the President
to know every morning. I am briefed every day on
all the world, on everything that takes place from
one end of the world to the other, all the way
around -- by both the,poles and the other way. It
is necessary that you make that contribution for
the welfare and benefit of your government.
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"I came over here to tell you how appreciative
I am of the service which I received as the Chief
Executive of the greatest nation in the history of
the world."
Remarks of President Truman
to a CIA Orientation Training
Course, 21 November 1952.
(The inscription on the photograph of Presi-
dent Truman, which he presented to CIA, reads:)
"To the Ce2zra~_Inte Z Zgence Agencry a
n.ecesszty-tot-h-e.-P.r.es_i.dent of the United States,
;frvom'"one who knows.
Harry S. Truman
June 9, 1964"
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"America's funda-
mental aspiration is the
preservation of peace.
To this end we seek to
develop policies and
arrangements to make the
peace both permanent and
just. This can be done
only on the basis of
comprehensive and apprio'-
priate information.
''In war nothing is J,
more important to a
commander than the facts
concerning the strength,
dispositions, and inte-_
tions of his opponent; and the proper 2nt.orpr' 'tion
of those facts. In peacetime the neeesc9 f is
are of a different nature. They deal' wut1~ c,di -
tions, resources, requirements, and 4tttitudes pre-
vailing in the world. They and their correct inter-
pretation are essential to the development of policy
to further our long term national security and best
interests. To provide information of this kind is
the task of the organization of which you are a
part.
"No task could be more important.
"Upon the quality of your work depends in
large measure the success of our effort to further
the Nation's position in the international scene.
"By its very nature the work of this agency
demands of its members the highest order of
dedication, ability, trustworthiness, and self-
lessness -- to say nothing of the finest type of
courage, whenever needed. Success cannot be
advertised: failure cannot be explained. In the
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work of Intelligence, heroes are undecorated and
unsung, often even among their own fraternity.
Their inspiration is rooted in patriotism -- their
reward can be little except the conviction that
they are performing a unique and indispensable
service for their country, and the knowledge
that America needs and appreciates their efforts.
I assure you this is indeed true.
"The reputation of your organization for
quality and excellence of performance, ... is a
proud one.
"Because I deeply believe these things, I
deem it a great privilege to participate in this
ceremony of cornerstone laying for the national
headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency.
On this spot will rise a beautiful and useful
structure. May it long endure, to serve the
cause of America and of peace."
Remarks of President Eisenhower
at the cornerstone-laying ceremony
for the CIA building,
3 November 1959.
"I have made some notes from which I want
to talk to you about this U-2 incident. ...
"The first point is this: the need for
intelligence-gathering activities.
'No one wants another Pearl Harbor. This
means that we must have knowledge of military
forces and preparations around the world, espe-
ciaZZy those capable of massive surprise attacks.
"Secrecy in the Soviet Union makes this
essential. ...
..ever since the beginning of my administration
I have issued directives to gather, in every
feasible way, the information required to protect
the United States and the free world against
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surprise attack and to enable them to make
effective preparations for defense.
"My second point: the nature of inteZ-
ligence-gathering activities.
"These have a special and secret character.
They are, so to speak, 'below the surface'
activities.
"They are secret because they must circum-
vent measures designed by other countries to
protect secrecy of military preparations.
"They are divorced from the regular visible
agencies of government which stay clear of
operational involvement in specific detailed
activities.
"These elements operate under broad direc-
tives to seek and gather intelligence short of
the use of force -- with operations supervised by
responsible officials within this area of secret
activities. ...
"These activities have their own rules and
methods of concealment which seek to mislead and
obscure
"Third point: how should we view all of
this activity?
"It is a distasteful but vital necessity.
"We prefer and work for a different kind of
world -- and a different way of obtaining the
information essential to confidence and effective
deterrents. Open societies, in the day of present
weapons, are the only answer. ...
"My final point is that we must not be
distracted from the real issues of the day by
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what is an incident or a symptom of the world
situation today."
Statement by President Eisenhower
at his news conference of 11 May
1960, following the shooting
down of the U-2 by the Soviet
Union.
"...Accordingly, at this morning's private
session, despite the violence and inaccuracy of
Mr. Khrushchev's statements, I replied to him on
the following terms: ...
"In my statement of May 11th and in the
statement of Secretary Herter of May 9th, the
position of the United States was made clear with
respect to the distasteful necessity of espionage
activities in a world where nations distrust each
other's intentions. We pointed out that these
activities had no aggressive intent but rather
were to assure the safety of the United States and
the free world against surprise attack by a power
which boasts of its ability to devastate the
United States and other countries by missiles
armed with atomic warheads. As is well known, not
only the United States but most other countries are
constantly the targets of elaborate and persistent
espionage of the Soviet Union."
Statement by President Eisenhower
to Chairman Khrushchev at the
opening of the Summit Conference
in Paris, 16 May 1960.
"During-the period leading up to World War II
we learned from'bitter experience the imperative
necessity of a continuous gathering of intelligence
"Moreover, as President, charged by the
Constitution with the conduct of America's foreign
relations, and as Commander-in-Chief, charged with
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the direction of the operations and activities
of our Armed Forces and their supporting services,
I take full responsibility for approving all the
various programs undertaken by our government to
secure and evaluate military intelligence.
"It was in the prosecution of one of these
intelligence programs that the widely publicized
U-2 incident occurred.
"Aerial photography has been one of many
methods we have used to keep ourselves and the
free world abreast of major Soviet military
developments. The usefulness of this work has
been well established through four years of
effort. The Soviets were well aware of it. ...
"The plain truth is this: when a nation
needs intelligence activity, there is no time
when vigilance can be relaxed. Incidentally,
from Pearl Harbor we learned that even nego-
tiation itself can be used to conceal prepara-
tions for a surprise attack. ...
"...It must be remembered that over a long
period, these flights had given us information
of the greatest importance to the nation's
security. In fact, their success has been
nothing short of remarkable. ...
"I then made two facts clear to the public:
first, our program of aerial reconnaissance had
been undertaken with my approval; second, this
government is compelled to keep abreast, by one
means or another, of military activities of the
Soviets, just as their government has for years
engaged in espionage activities in our country
and throughout the world."
President Eisenhower's Radio
and Television Report to the
American people (following the
Paris Summit Conference).
25 May 1960.
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"As I think you know, I wish you and your
associates in the Central Intelligence Agency
well in the tremendously important job you do
for our country. Upon the work of your organi-
zation there is an almost frightening respon-
sibility; I know all members of the CIA will
continue to do the best they can for all of us."
Letter from President Eisenhower
to the Director of Central
Intelligence, Allen W. Dulles,
18 January 1961, at the conclusion
of the Eisenhower Administration.
(The inscription on the photograph of
President Eisenhower, which he presented to
CIA, reads:)
"To Central Intelligence Agency
An indispensable organization to our
country.
Dwight D. Eisenhower"
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"I want, first of all,
to express my appreciation
to you all for the oppor-
tunity that this ceremony
gives to tell you how
grateful we are in the
government and in the
country for the services
that the personnel of this
Agency render to the
country.
"It is not always
easy. Your successes are
unheralded -- your failures
are trumpeted. I some-
imAVA Y e that feeling myself. But I am sure
you realize how important is your work, how
essential it is -- and how, in the long sweep
of history, how significant your efforts will be
judged.
"So I do want to express my appreciation to
you now, and I'm confident that in the future you
will continue to merit the appreciation of our
country, as you have in the past."
Remarks of President Kennedy
at the CIA Headquarters,
28 November 1961, upon present-
ing the National Security Medal
to the retiring Director of
Central Intelligence, Allen Dulles.
"...it is my wish that you serve as the
Government's principal. foreign intelligence officer,
and as such that you undertake, as an integral part
of your responsibility, the coordination and effec-
tive guidance of the total United States foreign
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intelligence effort. As the Government's
principal intelligence officer, you will assure
the proper coordination, correlation, and eval-
uation of intelligence from all sources and its
prompt dissemination to me and to other recip-
ients as appropriate. In fulfillment of these
tasks I shall expect you to work closely with
the heads of all departments and agencies having
responsibilities in the foreign intelligence
field. ...
"As directed by the President and the Na-
tional Security Council, you will establish
with the advice and assistance of the United States
Intelligence Board the necessary policies and
procedures to assure adequate coordination of
foreign intelligence activities at all levels."
Memorandum from President Kennedy
to the Director of Central
Intelligence, 16 January 1962.
'I wish to express to you, the members of the
United States Intelligence Board, and to the indi-
vidual members of the intelligence agencies my
deep and sincere appreciation for your outstanding
service to our Nation -- and the Free World --
during the recent international crisis.
In the course of the past few months I have
had occasion to again observe the extraordinary
accomplishments of our intelligence community, and
I have been singularly impressed with the overall
professional excellence, selfless devotion to duty,
resourcefulness and initiative manifested in the
work of this group. The fact that we had timely
and accurate information, skillfully analyzed and
clearly presented, to guide us in our judgments
during this crisis is, I believe, the greatest
tribute to the effectiveness of these individuals
and agencies. The magnitude of their contribution
can be measured, in part, by the fact that the
peace was sustained during a most critical time.
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'"It is, of course, a great source of strength
to me to know that we have . such. dedicated and
skilled men and women in the service of our Nation
in these times of peril. Although I cannot-
per-sonally commend each member of the intelligence
community for their individual efforts, :,I would
Like you to convey to them, through the members of
the United States Intelligence Board, my personal
word of commendation, my deep admiration for their
achievements,`and the appreciation of a grateful
Nation."
Letter from President Ke-nrh y
to the Director of Central
-Intelligence, John A. Mc-,one,,
in-his capacity as Chairman of
the United States Intelligence
Board, 9 January 1963. This
letter of commendation was
written after the Cuban Missile
Crisis of October 1962.
We have worked very closely ' together in the
and has had many successes which may.go un era e ,
in my opinion in this case it is unfair to charge
"So I'think that while the CIA ma- have made
mistakes, as we all do, on different occasions,
of the Director 'of Central InteZZ1-gence, operating
with the cooperation of the National Security
Council, and under my instructions,
that the CIA has not carried out indepen en
activities but has operated under close control
responsibility. I can just assure yoou flatly
attempting to meet the problems we faced in South
Viet-Nam. I can find nothing, and I have Looked
through the record very carefully over the last
9 months, and I could go back further, to indicate
that the CIA has done anything but support policy.
It does not create policy; it attempts to execute
't in those areas where it has competence and
National Security Council in the Last 2 months
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them as they have been charged. I think they
have done a good job."
President Kennedy's News
Conference, 9 October 1963
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lives, our property, our
resources, and our sacred
honor to the freedom and
peace of other men, indeed
to the freedom and peace of
all mankind. We would dis-
honor that commitment, we
would disgrace all the
sacrifices that Americans
have made if we were not
every hour of every day
vigilant against every
threat to peace and free-
dom. That is why we have
the Central Intelligence
Agency in this country.
"The purpose of this effort, like the purpose
of all that we do, is to strive for an orderly,
just, and peaceful world. In this effort more than
in many others a high order of selflessness, of
dedication, of devotion, is asked of men and women.
The compensation of them comes not in fame, certainly
not in rewards of salary, but the reward of the sure
knowledge that they have made a contribution to
freedom's cause.
"For the leadership of this vital agency this
nation has been very fortunate to have the ser-
vices of outstanding Americans: Allen Dulles,
John McCone, now today Admiral William F. Raborn."
Remarks of President Johnson
28 April 1965, at the swearing in
ceremony of Admiral Raborn as
Director of Central Intelligence
and Mr. Helms as Deputy Director
of Central Intelligence.
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"You know it is my hope that we can continue
tobuild and strengthen, the effectiveness of the
Agency, making full utilization of the imaginative
talent assembled in the. organization. I hope
to asure and encourage. all your employees to real.-
ize that, their personal abilities and superior
p'erformancedo not go unnoticed, or unrecognized.
!'Our intelligence must be unquestionably the
best in the world. You have my full support in
our effort to make it so."
Letter from President Johnson
to Admiral Raborn, DCI,29 July
1965, regarding the appointment
of Mrs. Penelope Thunberg, ORR,
to the U.S. Tariff Commission.
"The interests of national defense and secu
rity require sustained effort on the part.of the
intelligence community to support me and other,
officials having policy and command responsibilit-
ies. Efficient management and direction of the
complex activities which make up the total foreign
intelligence effort are essential to meet day-to-
day national requirements, and to ensure the
development and application of advanced means for
the collection, processing, analysis, estimating
and reporting of intelligence information.".
"I am extremely proud of both--of these men
(Admiral Raborn and M'~1r. Helms) and?the.ir col-
leagues'. The nature of their work does not often
allow' public' acknowledgement.. Praised'ordamned
(and we are living in an era where men who spend
all their time concerned with the protection of
the security of their country.are frequently
damned more than they are praised, I regret to say)
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Memorandum of 19 October 1965
from President Johnson to the
DCI on the Foreign Intelligence
Activities of the United States.
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these men must go about their work without
standing up for bows and sometimes are not even
permitted to speak out in their own defense.
Their role is misunderstood by some of their
supporters, and I never recrd.a morning paper with-
out seeing it being distorted by their critics.
"In 2 1/2..:years of working with these men
I have yet to meet a '007'. I have met dozens
of men who are moved and motivated by the highest
and most-patriotic and dedicated purposes -- men
who are specialists in economics, and political
science, and history, and geography, and physics,
and many other fields where logic and analysis
are crucial to the decisions that the President
of their country is called upon to make. Through
my experience with these men I have learned that
their most significant triumphs come not in the
secrets passed in the dark but in patient reading,
hour after hour, of highly technical periodicals.
"Ina real sense they are America's pro-
fessionai'students; they are unsung, just as they
are invaluable.'
"Although he [Mr. Helms] has spent more than
twenty years in public life attempting to avoid
publicity, he has never been able to conceal the
fact that he is one of the most trusted and most
able and most dedicated professional career men
in this Capital. No man has ever come to this high
and critical office with better qualifications.
"I think it was Patrick Henry who said,
'The battle is not to the strong alone, it is
to the vigilant and to the active and to the
brave,' and it is to Dick Helms and to the Agency
that he will now head that we must look for this
vigilance. His own record and the past achieve-
ments of his Agency give us full confidence in
the future operation of the Central Intelligence
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Agency with judgment, with intelligence, and
above all with great public integrity."
Remarks of President Johnson
30 June 1966, at the swearing in
ceremony of Mr. Helms as
Director of Central Intelligence.
"Your countrymen ... cannot know of your
accomplishments in the equally crucial business
of the Central Intelligence Agency. For it is
the lot of those in our intelligence agencies
that they should work in silence--sometimes fail
in silence, but more often succeed in silence.
"Unhappily, also, it is sometime their lot
that they must suffer in silence. For, like all
in high public position, they are occasionaZZy
subject to criticism which they must not answer.
"Secrecy in this work is essential.
Achievements and triumphs can seldom be adver-
tised. Shortcomings and failures often are
advertised. The rewards can never come in
public acclaim, only in the quiet satisfaction
of getting on with the job and trying to do well
the work that needs to be done in the interests
of your Nation.
"The best intelligence is essential to the
best policy. So I am delighted that you have
undertaken, as far as security permits, to tell
the public that it is well served by the Central
Intelligence Agency.
"I am glad that there are occasions from
time to time when I, like my predecessors in this
office, can also express my deep confidence in
the expert and the dedicated service of the personnel
of the Central Intelligence Agency.'
Remarks of President Johnson,
17 August 1966, at the presentation
of the National Security Medal to
Admiral Raborn for his services as
Director of Central Intelligence.
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"This is a day when you should all be proud--
especially those among you who have been a part of
the Agency since its founding.
"Twenty years ago, this country had no broad-
scale professional intelligence service worthy of
the name. Today, it has a strong and vital one--
the best in the world.
"Twenty years ago, you began with a vague
assortment of functions and a varied assortment
of people. Your purposes were not well understood
inside the Government, and barely understood at all
outside. Since that time, you have become a
dedicated and disciplined core of professionals,
with clearly defined responsibilities.
"Those responsibilities are vast and demand-
ing. You give us information on which decisions
affecting the course of history are made. Your
product must be as perfect as is humanly possible--
though the material you must work with is far
from perfect.
"You must keep pace with developments in a
tremendously complex society, a society which, as
your director, Mr. Helms, has said, 'gropes for
answers to challenges its founding fathers could
never have conceived.'
"You have built a solid foundation in these
past twenty years. America relies on your con-
stant dedication to the truth--on your commit-
ment to our democratic ideal. I believe our
trust is well placed."
Message from President Johnson,
18 September 1967, to Director
Helms on the occasion of the 20th
anniversary of the founding of
the Agency.
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that the CIA is a professional
organization. That is one of
the reasons that when the new
Administration came in and
many changes were made, as they
should be made in our American
political system after an election, and a change of
Parties, as far as the Executive Branch is concerned,
I did not make a change.
"I surveyed the field. I checked the qualifica-
tions of all of the men, or, for that matter, any
women who might possibly be the Director of the CIA.
"But I concluded that Dick Helms was the best
man in the country to be the Director of the CIA
and that is why we have him here.
"...Going back during the eight years I was
Vice President, I sat on the National Security
Council and there I learned to respect the organiza-
tion, its Director and its reports that were made
to the Council, and through the Council to the
President of the United States.
"I know how vitally important the work of this
organization is, I also know that this organization
has a mission that, by necessity, runs counter to
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"As I stand before you
today, this is the first visit
I have made to one of the
Departments that is not re-
presented officially in the
Cabinet.
"It has been truly said
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some of the very deeply held traditions in this
country and feelings, idealistic feelings about
what a free society ought to be.
"Americans don't like war, of course.
Americans also do not like secrecy. They don't
like cold war and consequently, whenever it is
necessary in the conduct of our foreign policy,
whether in a cold war or whether, as is the
situation now, in a hot war, or whether in inter-
national tension, call it a cold war or simply
a period of confrontation or even of negotiation,
whatever you want to call it, that whenever it
becomes necessary to obtain intelligence informa-
tion by an intelligence organization, many
Americans are deeply concerned about this. And
they express their concerns. They express them
quite violently sometimes, quite frequently, as
you all know from the experience that this organiza-
tion has had over the years.
"This is a dilemma. It is one that I wish
did not exist. But in the society in which we live,
as I am sure all of you are so completely aware,
it is necessary that those who make decisions at
the highest level have the very best possible
intelligence with regard to what the facts really
are, so that the margin of error will be, to that
extent, reduced.
`And in a sense, then, I look upon this
organization as not one that is necessary for
the conduct of conflict or war, or call it what
you may, but in the final analysis as one of
the great instruments of our government for the
preservation of peace, for the avoidance of war,
and for the development of a society in which this
kind of activity would not be as necessary, if
necessary at all.
"It is that that I think the American
people need to understand, that this is a
necessary adjunct to the conduct of the Presidency.
And I am keenly aware of that. I am keenly aware
of the fact that many of you at times must have
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had doubts, perhaps you have not, but perhaps there
may have been times that you have had doubts about
your mission, the popularity of what you do in the
country, and I want to reassure you on that score.
"I realize that in this organization the
great majority of you are not in the kind of
covert activities which involve great danger, but.
I also know that some of your colleagues have
been involved in such activities and are involved
in such activities.
"I know, too, that there will be no
Purple Hearts, there will be no medals, there
will be no recognition of those who have served
far beyond the call of duty because by.definition
where the CIA is concerned your successes must
never be publicized and your failures will always
be publicized.
"So that makes your mission a particularly
difficult one. It makes it difficult from the
standpoint of those who must render service beyond
the call of duty. And I recognize that and I am
deeply grateful for those who are willing to make
that kind of sacrifice.
"In another sense, too, I want to pay proper
recognition to great numbers of people that I see
in this room and that I saw outside who do not get
down to the Cabinet Room to brief me as does
Mr. Helms, and his colleagues, who are not in the
positions where even private recognition comes
too often, but whose work is so absolutely essential
to the quality of those little morning briefing
papers that I have read every morning and read so
carefully and that are so important because the
decisions I make will be based sub-consciously
sometimes, other times consciously, on the accuracy
of those reports and their findings from around
the world.
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"I think sometimes that all of us know that
one of the ironies of life is that it takes more
heroism to render outstanding service in positions
that are not heroic in character than it does the
other way round. What I mean to say is that in an
organization like this, gathering facts and infor-
mation and intelligence, there are literally
hundreds and thousands of positions here and around
the world that must at times be very boring and
certainly frustrating and sometimes without
recognition.
"And I do want you to know that I appreciate
that work. I know how essential it is and I
would ask that you as the leaders, you who necessarily
and very properly do get more recognition than those
down the ranks, that you would convey to them my
appreciation for their heroism, heroism in the
sense that they have done an outstanding job and
that the Director is able to do a better job than
he otherwise could do in briefing the President
of the United States and his colleagues in the
National Security Council.
"So finally, I would simply say that I
understand that when President Truman in 1964
sent a message to the CIA, he put an inscription
on it which, as I recall, went something like this:
To the CIA, an organization which is an absolute
necessity to any President of the United States.
From one who knows.
"I know. And I appreciate what you do."
Remarks of President Nixon at
the Central Intelligence Agency,
7 March 1969
"This organization, the CIA, has a distinguished
record of being bipartisan in character. It is a
highly professional group. It will remain that in
this Administration ... ".
Remarks of President Nixon,
7 May 1969, at the swearing-in
ceremony of General Cushman
as Deputy Director of Central
Intelligence
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