378. Memorandum From the Under Secretary of State (Webb) to the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council (Souers)0

Pursuant to NSC Action No. 198 and your memorandum dated March 23, 1949, the Department of State considers that the following are the basic issues raised by the DullesJacksonCorrea report:

1.
That the Central Intelligence Agency is properly placed in the governmental structure under the National Security Council.
2.
That the Intelligence Advisory Committee is soundly conceived and that its present advisory relationship to the Director of Central Intelligence is correct, but that the IAC should participate more actively with the Director of Central Intelligence in the continuing coordination of intelligence activities and in the production of finished estimates.
a.
With respect to coordination of intelligence activities, the allocation of responsibilities among the agencies should be carried out under the forthright leadership of CIA.
b.
With respect to the production of estimates for the President and the National Security Council, CIA should utilize the facilities of the IAC members who should assume collective responsibility for them.
3.
That in order to improve coordination in the overall intelligence and security field, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation should be made a member of the IAC.
4.
That secret operations should be integrated with secret intelligence and domestic exploitation of foreign intelligence in a single self-administered office within CIA, rather than being a separate office directly under the Director of Central Intelligence independent of but coordinated with other components of CIA.
5.
That the Director of Central Intelligence should be a civilian and that the President should be invited to give his early consideration to a person of considerable stature and prominence, possessing the requisite qualifications of experience and willingness to serve.

James E. Webb 1
  1. Source: Truman Library, Papers of Harry S. Truman, President’s Secretary’s Files. Top Secret. Souers circulated Webb’s memorandum to Council members on the same day. (Ibid.) See the Supplement.
  2. Printed from a copy that indicates Webb signed the original.