CONVERSATION WITH MR. EDWARD BRASWELL CHIEF COUNSEL SENATE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE RE REORGANIZATION OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74B00415R000400130017-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 21, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 26, 2006
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: January 10, 1972
• Content Type: MFR

Approved For Release 2006/07/28: CIA-RDP74B00415R000400130017-2
SECRET
OLC 72-0032
10 January 1972
MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD
SUBJECT: Conversation with Mr. Edward Braswell, Chief Counsel,
Senate Armed Services Committee, Re Reorganization
of the Intelligence Community
1, Today I showed Mr. Braswell a copy of the 5 November 1971
Presidential memo on the reorganization of the intelligence community
and a copy of the President's letter to the Director of 1 November 1971.
Mr. Braswell's immediate reaction was to point out the first paragraph
on page 3 of the President's memo, instructing the Director to delegate
authority to the DDCI for the plans, programs and day-to-day operations
of the CIA. Mr. Braswell said this was exactly what Senators Stennis,
Symington and others were concerned about, and was completely incon-
sistent with the oral assurances which I had given to the effect the Director
would retain his authority and responsibility for the overall direction of
the Agency. I said it was too soon to know exactly how the new arrange-
ments would shake down, but I was morally certain that so long as Mr.
Helms was Director, he would not relinquish the reins over the Agency
which he had grown up with and which he knew like the back of his hand.
I said I saw no problem in Mr. Helms carrying on both responsibilities,
since in fact he had already had most of the responsibilities for the
community called for in the new directive, but simply lacked the authority
to carry them out. I argued that if anything the new directive might clarify
these responsibilities thereby making them less rather than more burden-
some. Mr. Braswell said "we will just have to see, "
2. Mr. Braswell said that in view of the provisions of the above
quoted paragraph we could expect the new DDCI to get a very intensive
grilling at the time of his confirmation, and the relative authority of the
Director and the DDCI under the reorganization plan would be thoroughly
examine rL _
Distribution:
Original - Subject
1- Chrono
01- O&M DDCI
JOHN M. MAURY
Legislative Counsel
SECRET
Approved For Release 2006/07/28: CIA-RDP74B00415R000400130017-2