LETTER TO GEN W. BEDELL SMITH FROM SECDEF

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R003500070001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 30, 2003
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: October 16, 1950
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Fease 08/SrE80R01731 A500
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THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE (r(P'''
WASHINGTON
II
Reference is made to a letter to the Secretary of Defense
from Admiral Hillenkoetter, dated 23 August 1950, relating to
the benefits to be achieved by initiating a strong peripheral
reporting system and to the copy of the letter to the State
Department, same subject, attached as an inclosure.
The Department of Defense concurs in State Departmeunt's
observation concerning the importance of intelligence reportia_l
in the areas peripheral to the Soviet Union as mentioned in
State's reply to you on this subject, dated 19 September 1950.
As you know, the Department of Defense has not permitted its
attache consolidation and reduction program to interfere with
the Soviet periphery. The attache personnel who were forced f -om
Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe have largely been reassign-4
to such "fringe" countries as Turkey, Greece, Austria, and Sweien,
in order to make use of their talents for continued intelligen-'s,
activities in those areas.
In addition, certain sizable increases in Service attache
personnel ceilings as recommended by the Joint Chiefs of Staff
have recently been approved. A copy of the Joint Chiefs of St:y.ff
recommendations on this subject, dated 26 September 1950, is
inclosed for your information. You will observe that a number of
these increases concern countries peripheral to the Soviet-donna-
ted world.
I would appreciate hearing from you at any time if there ~,re
additional steps which can be taken by the Department of Defez=e,
to assist you in this particular question.
Faithfully yours,
Lt. Gen W. Bedell Smith
Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Washington 25, D. C.
DIA, OSD, JCS and DOS review(s) completed.
OSD REVIEW COMPLETED
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subject: Inere aae in service z .ttach
Personnel deilini;s.
In view of the current irete rnati n i a t t
it is considered in the i.t rest of Lattonal socU 1t~ i . .
action be taken to acpand -,, ixorie f&i.'la.ihi 3 t s $-
re Mwisnde d that an incre asci in vsx ri c ttac i o n
oei1in as _4t .dated in eeeleaaue hereto be Ruth.-
It is f f trod sdod -.at inp san#z tion k ass:L
cents to ind.tvidual. posts within the inoraeased eeLiin =
made the resptinsibi. `y.ty or the - ersiiees.
for the Joint Cie.?'s
Sgn4 Ge+ erat Umw #I. Bride'
UV141% ii. i 3".r y~
"harm,
Joint -ahiS fs of 3ttf r ,
Enclosure (4 cop iB s) .
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RECOMMENDED INCREASE IN SERVICE ATTACHE PERSGI)NEL CEILI..GS
1. The pro sent , talus of Attache poste and per: onne1 of the
three Servi.ces Lc as fo11o Ts :
Army Nav Air force
Attache Posts 55 37 1,3
Attaches 115 99 123
AdmLnLw bratLvc_
G , muntc t L an ar.Ld
u~ 6todtl Personnel
Warrant Of f Lcers 35
all the above cases by one Service ac ling In the Lutere ? t I- '-I!.
2. SLnce the reduc t.i.ons In Attache poets and personnel , a
December 19k9, the followtn; areas have been found to have
Lnadequate intellLence coverage:
a,
:have Lncreaeod in Unupor"tanoe to such an e tent that, the
tell?.;:;arise c 1lect .~xl now ilecensary cannot be ac.'oInpl t
T,atellIV ence cc11eet'on,for
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En1Ls tec: Dien 1.07 11.- ' 1,32*
U. S. C i.vT.ILana (2 71 69
AIIerie 199 134 139
P SECRET
an Attache from only one of the Se. vLcc.1
Bola.vta (A.i.r Force)
Burma (A.rmy )
Ceylon (Navy)
C o lornb La (Army)
Denniaric (Navy)
Domtnicari
Republic vy)
Ecuador (Army)
G.ountr.es wL_th
Belgium (Army)
El Salvador (A.rtn.y)
EthLopLa (Army)
Guatemala (AL.r Force)
Ha L t i (Army)
Lebanon (Army)
'.Few Zealand (Army)
PhilIppIxie Republic
Syr=Ia (Army)
(Na'ry )
all 3c;rvLce8 has been rev Ce(
~ 7 rV Lc? _it ta1/41c X71. Fjw fil.tt u1 ea.V to Jl Lie a,Jv VCS 4 .3.; .w.
i equ -eraente I-Ia,ve w:pandeQ, t= nc7_Lnesa and, accurao 7 Df
`> heke figures Include crew members for ALr and. Naval At :ac is
ar.rc?aft.
- 1 - E..c1o^ur-
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Countr!_es with no Attache representatLon:
if SECRET
Belgian C ong?:o Paraguay
Costa Rica Saudi Arabia
Honduras Trans Jordan
TSLcaragua
Wherever there is no military representative, mLlL ary
intelligence coverage in these countries devolves upon
the Department of State under provLs ionv of NSCID No. 2
This procedure has, due to the lack, of military and teohmL?ai
I,nowled,ge of Embassy, Legation and Consular perso.t iei, pro-
duced; a negligible amount )f military Lnformation.
c, In addition, e::perLence obtaLned during the perLoc of
reduced Attache staffs has determined that an increase _n
personnel Ln Europe, in the periphery of Eastern Europa, L?-
the Middle East and South East Asia Areas, is now.requL:,ed.
Certain Attache posts have an additional responsi'o_1.ityr in
providing adminIstrati.ve and communications support to
various non-Intelligence agencies such as Military Ass t:= tars
}L,
Aid Groups. Such support places a 1LmLt on the collect on
mL l i tary information and has been considered In the ove -a .
increase now desired.
. Proposed personnel Increases:
ARMY :
Tj ? S .
Country
Off Leers
Warrant
Officers
Enl..s ted
M?11
C Lv -_
1?_a. s
AfShan.Lstan
Argentina
1
Be ].u1. 1-1111
Bolivia (re?-act'L.vated)
1
Brazil
1
Burn,
1
Canada
1
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U. S.
Warrant Enlie bed G LvL--
C ounbry Officers Officers Men lLanVV
Denmartc (re -ac biva ted) 2
Eyp t 2
Ebh opLa
France
Handurae (re-ac b i.va ted) 1 1 1 1
Ind la
101' SECRET
Ind o C h a.na
Italy
Morocco
Ne ther lands
NLcara?ua (re.-ac t Lvabed)
Paraguay (re-ac t i_vated )
PhLlLppLnes
(re-activated)
Singapore
Spain
Syria
Thailand
1
2
1
Total Army
Increases
28
4
20
:3
Recapitulation of
Total Army
Attache Calling
14-~
It U.
12-7
3+
NAVY:
"u.S.
country
Offtcer.e
Warrant
Officers
Enlisted
Men
CLvL-
lion'
Aus tr^al.La
Burma (activated)
Ceylon
1
1
C h Lna
1
Denmar[c
1
2
Eg
p b
1
2
N
Greece (Salonika)
1
2
Hongkong
1
2
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C ounbr Officers
Ind ".a 1
Inc one s La 1
Iran (re?-activated) 2
Israel (?,e-activated) 1
Italy 1
Lebanon (re?-activated) 1
Morocco 1
Netherlands 1
New Zealand (act.Lvatec;) 1
Norway 2
PhilLppines 2
PortuSal 1
Singapore 1
Sweden 1
Thailand 1
Turley (Istanbul) 1 1
Union of South Africa
(Capetown) (re-activated) 2
Venezuela (re-activated) 1
Total Navy
Increases 29
Recapitulation of
Total Navy
A.ttache Ceilinp, 123
AIR FORCE: U.S
Warrant Air r vt =-
C ou.ntr~l Officers Officers Men 1 _arrt=
A:f share t s tan 1 1
Australia 1.
Burma (eetivated)
C h.tna
CIt t.le
F ra ne. e
71-=aces crews fort^Lr l-:ttache planes.
- 11 .-
J.S.
Warrant Enlisted JLv .?-
Officers Men 1La2 s
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Tuff SL411L1
C o untr l
Off Lcere
Warrant
Oi'l' Lcero
Air
Men
U. S.
CLv'-
1.~ ana
A1.Ie--
Greece
1.
1
Hongkong
1
#
Inc ono La (act.vated)
3
Ire Land.
2
Norway
2
Peru
Po^t~~ a1
I
1
Syra (re?-actLvated)
3
1.1
1
Union of South A.frLca
1
Uru`;uay
Venezuela
Total Air i orce
Increapea
2F
RecapLtula~tton of
Total Air Force
Attache Cet1Lng
14:)
20
20T
r'0
1
Attache planes.
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