HISTORY OF THE OFFICE OF OPERATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP84-00022R000300010003-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 4, 2003
• Sequence Number: 3
• Content Type: REPORT

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HXST OF THE OFFICS OF OPERATIONS
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SECTION A MMIO.N AND YIEST ?W&S - 19146
1. Activation. The creation of an "Office of Operations" within the
Central Intelligence Group seems to have been first discussed in ft%mktlmt,
OWMW* in the early summer of 1946. The Director of Central Intelligence,
Lt. Gen. *Wt S. Vandenberg, who was attending the conference of Military
Attaches in fraAcfurt, asked Brig Gen. Edwin L. Sibert, then AC of S, 0-2,
UST', to come to Washington to supervise the election of foreign intelligence
information by the nary-forasd C.1.0. As if to forreshadow later debates on
the subject, the question of whether the existing overt and. covert collection
activities should be oorebined under one directing headquarters was raised at
this meeting, but it was decided to postpone a decision until General Sibert
Cate on duty.
Two weeks after his arrival, the Office of Operations was officially
I L L E G I B activated by C.I.G. on 17 October 1914, to
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st of the "B" Deputy Staff, transferred from the Office of Special
STATSPEi
Operations and redesignated the "Commercial Contacts Branch," and t
transferred from the Office of
Collection and Dissemination. The history of these units before their transfer
to 00 is given in Chapters II and III. Although the order donne not assign a
specific mission to the Offices, it implies the continued existence of OSO for
covert collection functions and the continued responsibility of OCD for
collecting material from other government agencies, and thus indicates the
type of collection to be undertaken by 00.
2. Functions, A formal, if somewhat ambiguous, statement of the
mission and functions of the Offioee was drafted during the following month
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and approved an 19 fiber 191e6, stating *The erasion of the Office of
Operations is to effect collection of intelligence information for C.I.G.,
through coordination and supervision of designated C.I.G. organic oollection
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agencies." The directive "initial]y* establishes the re-named
STATSPEC
and the Contact Branch (0Q/C)
as organic collection agencies. It indicates that
broa casts of foreign not ions," prepare and distribute transcriptions, and
arrange for world-wide coverage thrc I I and through
reciprocal. arrangements with similar national or foreign activities. it
assigns Contact Division the f ction of collecting foreign intelligence
information "through the aediea of American business concerns and scientific,
educational and religious organizations with connections abroad, and American
residents travelling abroad," provides for coordination of the domestic
collection activities of Omember agencies" (i.e. the IAC agencies) through
the establishment of inter-agency field offices in the US and through
"coordinating directives," and indicates that field operations mar use "such
cover as may be appropriate". The directive further indicates that no
research and evaluation functions will be carried on by 00 except the grading
of information as to the reliabilitsy of source and that ORE will provide
00 with evaluations of "information obtained through each source."
3.. During the first six months of its existence, 00
operated without a,rCr approved T/ O,, borrowing positions or having its personnel
on ? November 1946,
officially assigned to o ?n1Offices. The appointment,/of a Deputy Assistant
Director for Operations, A
was made possible only through
the use of unvouehered funds, The personnel records of early employees of
00 headquarters look as if the Office staff had been assembled from every
other unit in C.I.Q., whereas they were actually recruited from outside the
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STATSPEC
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Agency and carried against 050 or OEX T/O positions which they never held.
Early in October, the AWO asked for a staff of 3 sections and 18 people for
his immediate office; on 18 December 19146, however, he officially revised this
request to total 11 positions, including thee for a "Planning and Coordination
Staff", one high-level Administrative Assistant, and one trainee slot. A
ceiling of 10 positions was established for 00 headquarters on 5 February 19147,
but the tentative T/O was not approved until 16 April 1947. Similar delays
were experienoed in obtaining the first authorized T/Oee and position
classifications for
4. Transfer of Documents Branch to 00. The initial assignment to the
Office of Reports and Estimates of the forerunner of Foreign Docents Division,
the "Washington Documents Center", may have been partially due to these T/0
difficulties as well as to the active role played by representatives or ORE
in the first negotiations for the transfer of this activity from the War and
Navy Departments to C.I.G. (See Chaper IV) On 31 December 1916, however,
a retroactive order was issued assigning ?d)C to 00, "effective 1 December 1946,"
designating it as the Documents Branch, and indicating; that its primary function
was "to receive foreign documents for cataloguing, su-amari.sing, and translation."
(See Chaper IV)
sZCTIC II B - EARLY I VBIAPBB1T - 194?
Time by January 19147, a year after the creation of the G.I.G., the
Office of Operations was functioning with a small headquarters staff and
three major collecting components in much the same form and with virtuall,y
the same mission under which it operates today. The history of the Off ice
during the intervening five years is not marked by air major reorganizations
or radical changes in function. It shwa a gradual development through the
addition of new responsibilities always related to those already carried by
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the Office, and a slow but stsa4 expansion of personnel and facilities
to respond to the increasing requirements for information from overt sources
and for the se ices provided by the Office. Changes in the statement of
the +eissiono of 00 (see Appendix I) reflect the variations in the official
concept of the position and functions of CIA within the goverraraital
intelligence str ct we rather than az actual changes in the operations
or objectives of the Office.
During 1947, several new activities proposed by one or anther
of the IAC agencies were undertaken by 00, and one was turned dorm. As
requested t r the War Department, C.I.Ge took on further functions with respect
to the intelligence euploitation of captured {mesa documents and the
preparation of an Industrial Card File therefrom (see Gaper IF, Section B).
These ware largely assigned to the DoommmAs ranch, which was multaneously
re-named "Foreign Tweets $'aneh (FDa, now FM). In September, two months
after C.I.Q. had become C.I.A. by the passage of the ge-tional Security Act
of 1947, Maj. Oen. George C. McDonald., the Director of Inte11ike oe, Department
of the Air Form, made a similar suggestion that CIA should take over such
technical intelligence functions of T-2, Wright Field (Air Material. CoR nd
Zntelligso e) as might better be performed centrally. After an inspection
of T-2 by representatives of lOAFS and 00, it was decided on 23 October 1947
that none of the functions of ?-2 were of "such oommm concern to IAC mambers*
that th should be assumed by CIA.
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foreign IkrcvMeette Branch. This e q toitetion of foreign
tics by FDB lead developed partly as a result of its common service func-
tion with respect to manta ca tured in world war n and pertly in
response to requests from CIA and the other I&C agencies for coverage of
more mrr" foreign language material. Despite tleess requirements and
repeated discussion of the scope and warding of an IMM during
three years by Ad lbc Comaitteee, the Standing Committee of the IAC, and
e by the Intelligence Advisczr Committee (seee chapter IV, page 40 and A
Appendix V) final agreement on the term of such a directive has not yet
been reached. Pollowing various IAC requests for translation service by
CIA and a proposal on 25 April 19119 by the Deputy Director of Inte ligenese,
General. Staff, U.S. Arsr that CIA undertake the "translation of intelligence
material of recognised joint Interest" it meeee decided by the Director of
Central Intelligence (Msowrandum to IAC meters dated 9 y 19h9) that
centralisation of the translation function was i>elaraotioal but that CIA
would "coordinate the intelligence--translation effort by master index,"
would assist the IAC agencies by providing a "limited amount of transla-
tion service in certain lose aeon languages" and would "continue the
exploitation of foreign language material of joint intelligence interest"
within its capabilities. All of these services have been continued up to
the present and constitute part of the current functions of Foreign Documents
Division. The question of an MSCID to authorise CIA to coordinate the pro-
curement and exploitation of foreign language publications, for intelligence
purposes, and to perform certain centralised documentary functions, is still
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under active consideration. (See Appendix IV)
SRCTICi'f Z - CHA$C S IN 1948 STATSPEC
The growth and development of E~ Contact Branch, subsequent
to the assig nt to them of definite responsibilities by nd
7, respectively, and the gradual assumption of new functions by PDB on the
basis of internal directives are described in detail in the following
chapters. During 1948 the total "on duty" strength of the Office of Opera-
tions increased =we rapidly than at aa' other period during its history
(frog enlAoyes, see Appendix II); this increase was effected
in spite of concurrent T/ O outs totaling more than 50 positions. Internal
reorganizations took place in Contact Branch and FM,, the latter establish-
ing a "translation service" for CIA offices and arranging for linguist
personnel awaiting clearance to work in an "unclassified pool." 00 head-
quarters and Contact Branch also moved from 2210 E Street to the Yards and
Docks Building of the Wavy Department early in the year. Despite various
subsequent moves, the pkirsical separation of the components of the Office
and the location of FDB and
in separate buildings at some distance
STAT
STATSPEC
from the Office of the Assistant Director has unfortunately continued
throughout the history of the organization. In June 1948, General Sibert
seas and was replaced as Assistant Director b.. Mr.
USAF, was simultaneously appointed Deputy Ass'c. Dir.
and held this position until he left the Agency a year later.
SSCTIC* F - THB am ms REPCRT" and IBC 50
r n...r.~.rr r
1. "Dulles Report.* In their investigation of CIA and the national
organization for intelligence, the Jackson-Dulles-Correa Survey Group ride
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a careful sttu r of the activities of 00 during the course of 1948. In
their report to the National Security mil on I January 1949, they
concluded that 00 consisted of three distinctive activitiss, represent-
ing "useful and recognised functions in their own field" but without azW
particular relation to each other. On the basis of (a) the assistance
which Contact Branch could provide to 060 and OPC in arranging
groups in this country and the averse" operations
(b) the relationship between aliens and foreign nationality
(a) the eidlar problems facing 060 and 00/C field collection operations
and oonammer requirearenta and (d) the comparable need for security and
source protection, the Committee tsooeeended that Contact Branch be inte-
grated with 060 and OPC under single over-all direction (in a new "opera-
tions Division") within CIA. It reoc d that FI became part of a
proposed *Research and Reports" Divisim on the basis that its work should
be performed in close relationship to and under the guidance of the con-
swear agencies. In view of this dispersal of 00 functions, the Cceaittee
had saws difficulty in deciding where should be placed; as a purely
overt activity, it was unsuitable for inclusion with the covert offices,
and as an operating function, it did not fit into the static "Research"
divisions. The Cwrittee concluded that if remained a part of CIA,
it should probably be administered tr the now "Operations Divisions" but
its product should be iawedidstely availalks, for analysis by the research
ocacpoeaesats.
2. ISC . This reessseeeanda~tion concerning
STATSPEC
was one of the few
elessaats of the Dallas Report which was specifically disapproved tit the
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national Security Cecil. !$C 5, issued on l y 1949, indicated that
the proposed division should include only covert and send -cow activities
conducting field operations (oso, 0M, and Contact Branch, 00) and that it
should not adain
The recamsended transfer of F118 to a *Rwaearch
and Reports" unit was approved.
The contixmsd existence of the Office of Operati , as such, was
therefore in question during a long period after the i ssuanc s of NSC 50.
Since other major provisions of this ;der were not impleeeented immedlately,,
those affecting 00 were also loft in at*yence. In addi.t r it was felt that
the anon f atl cn of the three 00 divissions, the direct operational collection
of foreign intelligence information from overt sources was not sufficiently
recognised by the Dulles Coaaittee. Although the saw ant of information
obtainable by overt operations was red: in their report, the need for
coordinated direction of the various aspects of the overt collection function,
as performed by CIA, was not considered. This need was particularly obvious
with respect to acativiti es, die to the inherent overlap between
foreign radio and press materials and the closely related operations of the
two branches in the fields of translatim and general coverage of foreign
language sanrces. Another factor militating against the transfer of FDB
to the Office of Research and Reports after the formation of the Satter,
was the specialization of ORR in economic and geographic research. Since
051, 050, OPC;0 and the IAC agencies all had need of FIB s services, to vary-
ing extents and in different fields, it was felt that the branch should not
be controlled by one of the Agency's two research units. The "statics
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functions of the latter, as indicated by the Dulles Committee, were to be
concerned with the evaluation, production, and cowdination of intelligence
opposed to the conduct of operational activities. The considerations
preventing transfer of the Contact Branch to the now "Operations Division*
were rather different in nature: as a afield intelligence collection
operation,' within the U.S., its functions were believed by the Bolles
Committee to be analogous to 050's collection activities overseas. Nevera-
theleas, the Ccmndttee itself stated that 0o/C sources "do not wish to be
embroiled in anything that resembles espionage, despite their eagerness to
place at the disposal of the Goverment, information which they acquire in
their normal course of business." This fact had been borne out by the
A t
experience of the off which had first been, established
but had found within a few months that
this semi-covert status merely compli,.cated its relationships with business-
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