MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT FROM WILLIAM J. DONOVAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-01034R000200090010-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 19, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 21, 2006
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: December 26, 1944
• Content Type: MF

Approved For Re61e. ?e2QO6/11 1 : CIA-RDP83-0 0 RQ0020009001%0
ranscrlbe u y 19, eveloxanent of Cen-
by mawh for tral Intelligence
Theory
26 December 19)4.
141Il"0RANDU I FOR THHE PRESIDENT
As I an leaving today, I wanted to let you krriow of the
present status of the memorandum proposing the establishment of
a central intelligence service.
It was referred by the JCS to the JIC for comment and rec--
or,Lmenda.tion through the Joint Strategic Survey Committee.
The JIC Committee has produced two counter proposals:
one by representatives of the military agencies and the other by
representatives of State, FEA, and CSS. These two counter pro-
posals differ from each other so fundamentally in approach, con-
cept, and scope as to be irreconcilable.
Both papers are to be presented to the Joint Strategic
Survey Committee. The proposal of the civilian agencies closely
follows the original proposal to you. It is based upon the
premise that the end product of intelli,gence activity must be
a complete synthesized estimate upon which policy with respect
to the national security as a whole may be safely based.
While approving the appointment of the Director by the Presi-
dent, as suggested by me, the civilian paper would have the Di-
rector instead of reporting to the President, reporting to the
app] ('{ovad (fox r`~ "Le tsa ~&!):Jh'yy~~?"
the &Y?IS~ri;ORIiaCAL R]I.~}iF~F4 S`8`b'irR ~`:?'y Of
tX Central rntel.li%ance &genney.
This is a TEMPORARY DOCUMENT
only, for the use of DCf/HS.
The record copy has been
released to National Archives
under the HISTORICAL, REVIEW PROGR1'?A.
Date 7 G HRP~
57
1O ..I/CDF Pages 1- x
Approved For Release 2006/11/21 : CIA-RDP83-01034R000200090010-0
 Approved For Relefase 2006/11/21 :CIA-RDP83-01034R0200090QJ
- 2 -
Board, consisting of the Secretaries of War, State, and Navy.
The Board would set the policies but the Director would have the
administrative power to carry them out.
The proposal of the military members is not yet finalized.
As now drafted it evades early action. It is concerned primarily
with national security in its narrow sense. Strictly military in
its concept, it approaches the problem of providing national
policy intelligence from the departmental point of view. It
provides for a minimum of centralization and so undertakes to re-
strict the authority of the Director whom they wish appointed by
the Cabinet Secretaries, acting jointly.
The effect of this paper would eliminate little of the exist-
ing confusion. At the request of the Strategic Survey Board I
appeared before it and explained the theory underlying the primary
paper and the manner of administration.
From the questions and comments of the members, I judge
that they recognize the necessity of establishing such a system
but once the Director is appointed by the President they ask that
he report to the Board rather than to the President. The ground
taken is the inadvisability of having so many individual agencies
reporting directly to the President. I stated that this was a
matter for Presidential decision.
Also they expressed the view that they would like to have
Approved For Release 2006/11/21 : CIA-RDP83-01034R{00200090010-0
 Approved For Releq_se 2006/11/21 :.CI~-EDP83-01034R000,200090010.0t, T., _
all three of the Chiefs of Staff as members of the Board. I
offered no objections to this but insisted that, whatever the
.composition of the Board, the Director be free administratively
to run his job, responsible as is a general manager to a Board
of Directors. I talked also to State about this and they feel
they must be consulted in the selection of the Director.
In discussing this matter with responsible officers in. the
intelligence field I have been surprised at their lack of under-
standing of the necessity for a sound intelligence organization,
an organization comprising a central service in which career
officers and civilian experts working together synthesize all
available intelligence on the policy level, and estimate, before
the event, political and military developments.
William J. Donovan
Director
Approved For Release 2006/11/21 : CIA-RDP83-01034R000200090010-0
 SECRET (When Filled In)
jE)
AREA OR COUNT v C 0 IC RS
NWACI
f1bW DOCUMENT
HQ OSS Orl in
s
DATE
FEA Organization !-'b Dec 44
IDENTIFICATION OF DOCUMENT (author, form, addreaaee, title & length)
Memorandum for President Roosevelt from General William J.
Donovan, 3 pp. typed
?
LOCATIONt
HS/HC-801
ABSTRACT Item 21
HS/HC-31 j
This memorandum explains General Donovan's view that the Item .9
intelligence service should be a centralized agency with the Director
able to administer freely the operations of the agency.
Note is taken of counter proposals sent by the JCS to the JIC for
comment. One proposal was prepared by the military and the other by
State, FEA and OSS.
(Source document for HS-1, Chapter I, page 54.)
FORM 2523 EciTLoMS '"EY'ooe , . ? HISTORICAL STAFF SOURCE INDEX SECRET -191
Approved For Release 2006/11/21 : CIA-RDP83-01034R000200090010-0