LETTER TO MRS. SOUERS FROM RICHARD HELMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00793R000100350011-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 10, 2001
• Sequence Number: 11
• Publication Date: January 16, 1973
• Content Type: LETTER

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WASHINGTON, D.C. 20505
IY J-
16 January 1973
Dear Mrs. Souers:
For myself and on behalf of all those who have served
with the Central Intelligence Agency, I extend you our deepest
sympathy on the death of your husband. At the same time I
wish to commemorate the great contribution he made to our
country in the development of the concept of central intelligence
after World War IL This concept was new to our system of
Government and for months was a matter of widely divergent
and strongly held views among the top advisers to the President.
Eventually, in the early days of 1946 President Truman called
on Admiral Souers to draft the final papers for his action.
This resulted in the Presidential Directive of 22 January 1946
which established the National Intelligence Authority and under
it the Central Intelligence Group. Your husband was then
appointed Director of Central Intelligence as a leading figure
in the intelligence structure and head of that group.
From these events came the establishment by law of
the National Security Council and the Central Intelligence
Agency, enabling our Government to meet its critical intel-
ligence needs through the most turbulent times of the cold
war period and the even more critical intelligence require-
ments to meet the current period of detente and disarmament
negotiations,
Approved For Release 2002/01/02 : CIA-RDP75-00793R000100350011-9
 Approved For Rise 2002/01/02 : CIA-RDP75-00793RQ100350011-9
We who inherited your husband's concept are particularly
aware of what our country owes him in the field of national secu-
rity. We hope the knowledge of this debt will be of some comfort
to you in your loss.
Sincerely,
Richard Helm
Richard Helms
Director
Mrs. Sidney W. Souers
OGC:LRH:jeb
1-DCI
1-ER
1-OGC
Approved For Release 2002/01/02 : CIA-RDP75-00793R000100350011-9