PROPOSED BILL FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE ACT OF 1947

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00610R000100030029-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 4, 2003
• Sequence Number: 29
• Publication Date: January 23, 1947
• Content Type: MF

A pri Wed For Release 2006/10/31: CIA-RDP90-0061 OR0001000A0029-9
23 January 1947
Subject Proposed Bill for National Defense Act of 1947
1. The following recommendations are made for changes and additions to
the First Rough Draft of the proposed bill fo*lerger of the Armed Forces:
a. The title of the draft bill should be amended to read as follows:
"To promote the national defense by providing for three
functionally balanced military departments unified under
a Secretary of National Defense, to establish a Central
Intelligence Agency, and for further integration, under
a Council of National Defense, with all other departments
and agencies of the Government concerned with the national
defense." - -
This will serve to include the establishment of a Central Intel-
ligence Agency as one of the purposes of the bill (page 1).
b. The Declaration of Policy (section 2, page 1) should be amended
to include reference to the need of centralizing intelligence, and the
intent of Congress to provide for such centralization as set forth in
Section 1(a) of the -proposed CIG Enabling Act. This should include
detailed reference to the major programs relating to intelligence as
outlined in Section 1(b) of the proposed GIG Enabling Act.
c. A section of "Definitions" should be included in an appropriate
place in the draft so that such terms as "foreign intelligence,
"foreign intelligence information", and similar phrases which have
a particular meaning with reference to intelligence are not miscon-
strued. This is in accordance with Section 2 of the proposed CIG
Enabling Act.
d. After Section 101(b) (page 2) there should be added a section
substantially as follows:
"The Director of Central Intelligence shall serve as the
Advisor to the Council on all matters pertaining to national
intelligence. In this capacity he shall attend all meetings
of the Council but shall take no part in the decisions
thereof."
e. Section 102(a) (page 4) does not specifically create a Central
Intelligence Agency, nor does it spell out chain of corcunand and the
authority which shall exercise policy guidance and control. In addition,
the personnel provisions are felt to be inadequate in that they do not
provide for direct employment by the agency of personnel of its own
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choosing. It is felt that Section 3(b) of the proposed CIG Enabling
Act is generally preferable as establishing more clearly the nature
of the agency. However, this section would have to be amended to make
clear that the Director of Central Intelligence would report to the
Council of National Defense but would receive policy guidance and
control from a committee of the Council consisting of the Secretary
of State, the Secretary of National Defense, and the President' s Per-
sonal Representative, if any.
f. Section 102(b) (page 5) should be eliminated in its; entirety.
This section defines the duties of the agency in terms which are .
extremely loose and lacking in detail. In its place should.be put
the provisions of Section 4(a) of the proposed CIG EnablingAot. The
latter sections delineate the functions of the agency in far greater
detail with less chance of misinterpretation or evasion. In addition.
Section 4(a) gives the agency the right to supervise its personnel,.
its budgetary requirements and disbursements of funds, and speaifioal-t:y
n
rei
f
th
f
g
e
o
or
provides for administrative and logistical support
of the agency. Also Section 4(a) was written to set forth
iti
ti
es
ac
v
the functions of CIG in accordance with the offices into vh ich CIG has
es not
d
o
been broken down. The draft submitted by the Jhite -House
include any specific provision for the collection of foreign intelli-
gence information.
g. The first sentence of Section 102(c) (page 7) permits other
agencies to continue general intelligence activities. This should be
amended to limit them strictly to departmental intelligence as pro-
vided by Section 4(b) of the proposed CIG Enabling Act. The remainder
of Section 102(c), which provides that -the agency shall have no police
power, etc., should be qualified to the extent of permitting it to
control its own security in accordance with Sections 4(a), (8), (9),
(10) and 4(e) of the proposed GIG Enabling Act.
h. Sections 102(d) end (e) (page 7) deal with the relationship of
the Central Intelligence Agency with other intelligence agencies of
the Government, and the use of their facilities. It is felt that the
f Sections 4(c) end (a) of the proposed CIG Enabling Act is
language o
preferable in that it provides for the full availability of both infor-
hereas the proposed draft
i
s w
-mation and facilities on a continuing bas
from the fJhite House is..-somevhat weaker.
i. The Director of Central Intelligence should be eliminated from -
the provisions of Section 404 (page 28) of the proposed draft inasmuch
pointment of person
f
ap
as these provisions tend to limit his powersfop
his
larl
ti
nd
y
cu
par
nel to exempted positions end on unvouchered,~ a
power to discharge employees for security reasons.
j. The draft act proposed by the White House nowhere provides for
+'?R nnarrati ons of the Central
Tine aui rtQ J. L L D ric:yv.. a -
Intelligence Agency. these include special procurement authorities,
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authorization for transfers between appropriations, certain sg
s
c
l
,.
personnel practices, the right to exchange funds, and certain- other.
minor but necessary powers. The proposed bill does not provide for
appropriations for the Central T"+_1 1
n_-?- _-- -- - --
enc
special expenditures which should be-authorized in those appropria..f
t
_--
tions, particularly expenditures of a c
y d
en
al nit
on
accounted for on the certification of the Director, and+expenditurea
_? "----
Other:vise made without regard t
o
.relating to Government funds. The above special powers and auth
orizations should be.added to the proposed bill as Sections 407 and-;
408 in the general form proposed by the CTG Enabling Act,.;Sections I'
6 _ a
7
WALTER RZ?IEIIER
Chief, Legislative Liaison Division