THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL ORGANIZATION

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP86T00268R000800120038-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 10, 2014
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: November 1, 1955
• Content Type: MISC

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November 1, 1955
THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL
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Statutory Provisions
The National Security Council was established pursuant
to Public Law 253, Title I, Section 101, 80th Congress,
approved July 26, 1947, as amended by Section 3 of Public
Law 216, 81st Congress, approved August 10, 1949, and by
Section 501(e) of Public Law 165, 82nd Congress, approved
October 10, 1951. By Reorganization Plan No. 4, effective
August 20, 1949, the Council was transferred to the Executive
Office of the President.
The statutory function of the Council is to advise the
President with respect to the ilnItIlalf_JAamfts.tl.c,
.1:21-tiGn, and nAlltla_z2.19.122 relating to the national
malElly so as to enable the military services and other de-
partments and agencies of the Government to cooperate more
effectively in matters involving the national security.
Subject to direction by the President, it is the responsi-
bility of the Council to assess and appraise the objectives,
commitments and risks of the United States in relation to
our actual and potential military power, to consider policies
on matters of common interest to the departments and agencies
of the Government-ooncerned with national security, and to
make su&recamendations. and such other reports to the
President as it deems appropriate or as the President
may require.
According to .s.tat9rmls.12,L?. the qua211...1A
composed of the Pres, theVice President, ?the s.p.sLitLaLy
ofu?544...tp, the Secr,gIp. of Defense, and flie'Director,
Unice of DeferTSe-MoST iza on. Secretaries and Under
TraTra=6777a7477577117176 departments and of the mili-
ntarydepartments may be appointed to the Council by the
['President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate,
to serve at his pleasure. By law, the Lia_plltga.ar_pat.aff
are therip......1_acta..a,LalaLtsuy....aAyla=s to the National Security
Council. In addition, the Central Intelli ence Ae2psy is,
by law, under the direction of t e a iona ecurity Council
and is the intelli elst..a4=per_ts the Counci.l. The statute
also provjdeitht the Council shall have a Staff headed by
a civilian Executive Secretary appointed by the President,
with such other personnel as may be authorized by the Council.
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Basis of the Council's Organization
The concept of the National Security Council is that of
an advisory staff for the President on all major policies
affecting the national security. Accordingly, the Council
performs its functions of advising the President by sub-
mitting for his consideration policy recommendations repre-
senting an integrated assessment and appraisal of our
over-all objectives, commitments and risks in the light
of our military and other capabilities. These recommenda-
tions represent the coordination of the various points of
view of all appropriate executive departments and agencies.
The Councils work is accordingly governed by the
following basic concepts:
a. The NSC deals only with issues affecting the
national security.
b. The NSC is advisory; by advice and recommenda-
tions to the President, it aids him to resolve the
executive will, performing whatever functions he
thinks would be most helpful to him in this respect.
c. The NSC seeks to integrate domestic, foreign
and military policies SQ as to enable Government
agencies to cooperate more effectively in national
security matters.
d. The NSC acts, according to Presidential direction,
to coordinate more effectively policies and functions of
Government agencies relating to the national security.
e. The NSC is concerned with both our actual and
our potential military power.
f. The NSC is not limited to areas of agency
agreement; on its own initiative, NSC may seek out
areas of agency conflict or mission to act, so as to
present alternative or new courses of action for
executive decision.
Under the direction of the National Security Council is
a Central Intelligence Agency headed by a Director of Central
Intelligence. The Operations Coordinating Board was esta-
blished by Executive Order or September 3, 1953; to provide
for the integrated implementation of national security policies
by the several agencies. The Board reports to the National
Security Council. Under the NSC the Interdepartmental
Intelligence Conference is responsible for the coordination
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of the investigation of all domestic espionage, counter-
espionage, sabotage, subversion and other related intel-
ligence matters affecting internal security. .Also under
the NSC, the Interdepartmental Committee on Internal
Security is responsible for coordinating all phases of
the internal security field other than the functions under
the purview of the IIC.
Present Organization
On March 17, 1953, the President approved the following
recommendations for strengthening the National Security Council:
In order to make possible a genuine exchange of ideas
and foster free discussion, it is planned as a general rule
not to have more than eight persons who have the right
formally to participate as Council members. This number
includes Statutory Members and standing-request and ad hoc
Participant Members; but does not include Advisers, Observers,
and the Special Assistant to the President for National
Security Affairs and NSC Staff members.
1. Statutory or Standing-Request Members:
The President, Chairman The Secretary of De-
The Vice President fense
The Secretary of State The Director, Office
The Secretary of the Treasury of Defense Mobili-
zation
2. Participant Members:
In addition to the above Members, the President
invites such other officials of Government to attend as
Participant Members, as his convenience and the agenda
items at a particular Meeting make desirable. Such in-
vitations are either on standing-request or ad hoc basis.
A standing-request Particlpant Member attends all meetings
until the President otherwise decides. At the invitation
'of the President, the Director, LiDxgall_DX_IbLe.ATadget,
and the Special Assistant to the President orl...20LIIrmaiala
now attend all Council meetings. An ad hoc Participant
Member attends only such Meeting or part of a Meeting as
he is specifically invited to attend.
3. Advisers, Observers, Staff:
In addition to Statutory and Participant Members,
there are in attendance at each Council meeting the following
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persons who do not formally participate as Council Members:
a. Advisers: The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Director of Central Intelligence
Special Assistants to the President
(Mr. Joseph M. Dodge and Mr. Nelson
A. Rockefeller)
b. Observers: Such person or persons as the
Presi-
dent desires to attend for the
purpose of observing, but not
participating
c. Staff: The Special Assistant to the Presi-
dent for National Security Affairs
The Executive Secretary, NSC
The Deputy Executive Secretary, NSC
4. Civilian Consultants and Civilian Committees:
In order to bring to the Council deliberations
a fresh, frequently-changing civilian point of view and to
gain public understanding of national security problems
through the use of civilians of stature, from time to time
the President may appoint on an ad hoc basis one or more
Civilian Consultants or small Civilian Committees as informal
Advisers to the Council. As a general rule, a Civilian
Consultant does not formally participate in a Council meeting
and a Civilian Committee appears at a Council meeting only
when its report is presented.
5. Executive Officers'of the Council:
The Special Assistant to the President for
National Security Affairs is the principal executive officer
of the National Security Council and serves as the Chairman
o4' the Council's Planning Board (described below). He does
not have status as a Statutory or Participant Member or pre-
side at Council Meetings. He is appointed by the President
on the White House Staff.
Under the supervision of the Special Assistant,
the Executive Secretary is the head of the NSC Staff, acts
for the Special Assistant in his absence, and advises and
aids him in the performance of his duties. The Deputy
Executive Secretary similarly acts for and assists the
Executive Secretary, and supervises the NSC Special Staff
(described below). The E;:ecutive Secretary and the other
members of the NSC Staff are compensated from the separate
appropriation for the National Security Council.
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6. Planning. Board of the Council:
The Planning Board is the principal body for
formulation and transmission of policy recommendations to the
Council and, in carrying out this responsibility, performs
the following functions:
a?. Anticipates and identifies problems and
situations affecting the secnrity objectives, com-
mitments, and risks of the United States, 4nd initiates
action to provide the required analyses and draft
policy statements for the consideration of the Council.
b. Facilitates the formulation of policies, dur-
ing the process of drafting policy recommendations, by
marshaling the resources of the respective departments
and agencies; by identifying the possible alternatives;
by endeavoring to achieve acceptable agreements; by
discussing differences; by avoiding undesirable com-
promises which conceal or gloss over real differences;
and by reducing differences to as clearly defined
and narrow an area as possible prior to reference to
the Council. The membership of the Planning Board
consists of the following:
Members:
Special Assistant to the President
(Chairman)
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Department of Defense
Office of Defense Mobilization
Office of the Special Assistant to the
President on Disarmament
Advisers: Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Central Intelligence Agency
Operations Coordinating Board
Bureau of the Budget
Staff: Executive Seoretary, NSC
Deputy Executive Secretary, NSC
Coordinator, Board Assistants
The Planning Board is assisted by the Board
Assistants, officials designated by the respective members
of the Planning Board and headed by a Coordinator on the
NSC Staff.
7. National Security Council Staff:
The National Security Council Staff performs the
following duties:
a. Furnishes the secretariat for the Council,
including the preparation of the agenda, record of
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actions and status of projects; reproduces and
distributes papers for the Council; and maintains the
official Council files.
b. Acts as the official channel of communication
for the Council, including notifying agencies of
assignments to carry out approved policies.
c. Briefs the Vice President before each Council
Meeting on matters covered by the agenda, and provides
him with such other staff assistance on NSC matters
as he may desire.
In addition, the NSC Staff has a small Special
Staff to assist in performing, among others, the following
duties:
,a. Independent analysis and review of each
,Planning,Board report before its submission to the
Council by:
(1) Examination of all documents referred
to in order to verify the reference.
(2) Examination of the report to determine
that it states the issues comprehensively and
clearly; that it develops the subject logically
and presents, as a standard procedure, the
alternative courses of action and the factors
which support and which oppose each alternative;
and that the conclusions reached are meaningful
as operational guidances.
(3) Amendment of the report in conformity
with (1) and (2) above, before final approval
and forwarding by the Planning Board.
b. Continuous examination of the totality of
national security policies with a view to determining
if gaps exist which should be filled and if important
issues or anticipated developments are sufficiently
explored.
c: Continuing integrated evaluation of the
capabilities of the free world versus the capabili-
ties of the Soviet Union and satellites, and estimates
of the situation, in order to bring such evaluations
and estimates before the Council.
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d. Providing a chairman or member of, or
observer with, ad hoc civilian or civilian-staff
committees, and assistance in recruiting such commit-
tees.
e. Keeping currently informed on the status Of
all national security programs and seeing that reports
and pertinent information thereon are currently avail-
able to the Council and the President.
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