Artifact Details
The end of the Office of Strategic Services in October 1945 marked the beginning of what would become the Central Intelligence Agency.
This letter, signed by President Truman, formally dissolves the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) effective 1 October 1945 (only 10 days from the date of the letter). Truman indicated that most OSS components would be transferred to the State and War Departments. This was a terrible disappointment to OSS Director Donovan, who had hoped his young intelligence organization would endure after World War II ended. Instead, Truman and the Congress would charter a new intelligence organization, the CIA, as part of the National Security Act of 1947.
Artifact Specs
26.5 cm x 20.3 cm
(L x W)
Learn More
Official OSS Exhibition Catalogue
The Office of Strategic Services: America’s First Intelligence Agency