Documents obtained from various archives in researching congressional oversight of the CIA.
[Document from the Truman Library, Papers of Harry S. Truman,
Official File, B File: Central Intelligence Agency:]
April 24, 1948
[Unsigned] Memorandum for the President
The Congress Record for April 21, pages 4836-7 contains a
thirty minute speech by Congressman [Edw. J.] Devitt of Wisconsin
on "We must create a joint committee on intelligence."
Mr. Devitt is very critical of the Central Intelligence
Agency. He advocates a concurrent resolution proposing that 18
Members constitute a committee which would constantly study and
evaluate the operations of all Government intelligence services.
At the close of the speech he stated as follows:
"I have spoken informally with Admiral Hillenkoeter, Director
of the Central Intelligence Agency, of my intention to introduce
this resolution today, and he has expressed his approbation of it.
He told me that while he believes there is much merit to the
independent position of his agency in the field of government, he
feels somewhat at a loss for the lack of some specific committee of
the Congress to whom he can turn for confidential guidance and
counsel and to whom he can resort for needed changes in the
legislative operations of his agency."
Perhaps someone should have a talk with Admiral Hillenkoeter
about this matter.
####
[Letter from Sen. Russell, March 19, 1951, in files of Senate Armed
Services Committee, 82nd Congress, Box 201, Center for the Study of
Legislative Archives, National Archives, Washington, D. C.:]
19 March 1951
Honorable William F. Knowland
United States Senate
Washington, D. C.
My dear Senator Knowland:
You are hereby appointed to a subcommittee, consisting of
myself as Chairman and Senators Byrd, Stennis, and Saltonstall as
the other members, to hold hearings on S. 927, a bill to amend
section 6 of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949.
It is anticipated that an executive hearing on this bill will
be held at 10 o'clock on Wednesday morning, March 21. This date
will be confirmed by the Committee staff.
Colonel J. M. Chambers has been assigned as the staff
representative on this bill.
Sincerely yours,
Richard B. Russell
Chairman, Armed Services Committee
[Excerpts from opening remarks (also on file at National Archives)
by Sen. Russell to his fellow senators, prepared for delivery at
subcommittee meeting, March 21, 1951. Handwriting, apparently
Russell's, is on the typed sheet.]:
"I have asked [Director of Central Intelligence] General [W.
Bedell] Smith to appear before the subcommittee for two reasons:
(1) so that he can give us any information on this bill, and (2) so
that he will be available for questioning by the subcommittee
members.
[In handwriting: --OFF Record--]
It is my understanding that he is prepared to give us a
briefing on the world situation if you so desire it. He is also
prepared to answer any questions you may wish to raise pertaining
to his organization and its operations.
I cannot stress too strongly the extreme sensitivity of this
information. There are many reasons why I believe it is important
that we know in detail of the activities of the Central
Intelligence Agency. In the absence of such knowledge it is quite
possible that we could endanger matters which are contained in
other legislation or appropriation bills which vitally affect the
Central Intelligence Agency, but of which we would have no
knowledge. However, if I thought there was the slightest
possibility of any violation of the secrecy of this meeting, I
would be compelled to accept what would be the lesser danger and
have us proceed in ignorance of what is being done by this agency.
(...)
####
Sen. Richard Russell's interactions with the CIA, 1962: a
fragmentary chronology Prepared from various archival sources by
David M. Barrett, Villanova University, Political Science
Department, Villanova, PA 19085. Copyright David M. Barrett.
January 23--"Warner, CIA 10AM"
February 6--"Mr. McCone (appt. made by RBR)" 4:30 pm
8--"CIA meeting" 2pm
March 5--"A[rmed].S[ervices]. Comm. (?), CIA" 10:30
6--"A.S. CIA meeting" 10:30
13--McNamara briefed CIA subcommittee on intelligence-related
matters, plus military stuff.
16 [or a day or so later]--Leg. Counsel for CIA was at Russell's
office; saw staffer.
19--"John McCone, CIA" 4:30
April 12--"CIA Exec (?)" 10:30 McCone there. Proposed in April 27
letter that briefings be done at least monthly. McC apparently
requested this particular meeting on short notice.
May 1--John Warner, leg. asst. to McCone, was by Russell's office;
saw Darden and requested another briefing in May; Darden put him
off.
15--RBR[ussell] at WH meeting of Cong. leadership. McCone there
(w/ other executive branch leaders) taking questions from Russell
and others.
21--"CIA hearings re Clay (?)" 10:30
June 27--"AS-CIA" 2:30
July 12--Darden tells RBR CIA wants meeting within a week or so;
apparently it happened.
August 1--"CIA Briefing (AS Comm.)" 10:30 [CIA subcomm., 10:30.
Russell noted on paper, "Good meeting."]
2--McCone called re: atomic testing discussed preceding day
8--McCone called, "Re: meeting with Republican members--Hickenlooper, et al"
13--Met with McCone and others.
McCone called Russell, 5:15 pm re: "...Joint investigation G--[?]-- and CIA".
14--Jt. Comm. on Atomic got CIA "annual briefing", 2:30, by McCone
and staff
23--McCone called, RBR not in, but he called McC back, talked to
"Gen. Carter, re: Cuba"
September 4--"White House re Cuba" 4:30 White House called 1:55
this day to set meeting for 5 that afternoon. 14 congressmen.
5-- "AS Comm. + For Relations, CIA briefing" 10:30. Rusk, McCone
and Dep. DCI Carter there
17--"AS-For Rel-Cuba" 10:30
19--"Jt. Comm on Cuba" 10:30
October--undated card indicating McCone waiting "to see you".
8--John Warner of CIA called.
9--note to R: "Mr. McCone of CIA is very anxious to see you."
Russell to please call.
16--LBJ phoned RBR, "anxious" to talk to RBR; they talked later
that day by phone re: "Cuba story"
17--"Talked [w/ LBJ] at Dining Room Re Cuba. Told him attached
articles [from Wash. Post, 10-17-62 on Gallup Poll/Cuba and
Algeria/Cuba] had killed any possibilities."
Russell asked this day for a briefing about Cuba before he went
home. McCone recommended full story be given; M. Bundy recommended
same to JFK....outcome unknown.
22--"Returned to Wash for W.H. Conf...."
Russell at W. House w/ over a dozen congressional leaders.
JFK gave his televised speech that night.
23--At 11:45 am LBJ called and wanted Russell to call. Russell
wrote, "pickup for luncheon, Bill White." White, in his memoirs,
says JFK instructed LBJ and Russell to tell White the whole inside
story on missile crisis up through that day.
12:20, McCone called, Russell not in. R called back: "Around
3pm was briefed on Cuban and other situations."
Russell wrote note on this day, "Told the Pres-...." [Is he
referring to Oct 22nd meeting?]
24--Note refers to "WH Conference this afternoon" 5pm briefing,
Fulbright, Vinson, too.
25--flew back down to Georgia.
November 29--"McCone CIA" 4:30
December 26--J. Warner called to say McCone "anxious to see the
Senator upon his return"; in meantime please pass along following
info: "While the CIA was pleased w/ the prisoner exchange, it was
not involved in the matter."
####
[A letter from Director of Central Intelligence Admiral William Raborn to
President Lyndon Johnson, August 5, 1965, on file in the LBJ Library:]
Dear Mr. President:
This is my (...) report concerning briefings by the Agency of
appropriate members of Congress on intelligence matters. This report covers
the month of July.
Date Committee Subject
1. 29 June 1965 Sen. R. Russell Dominican Republic
Vietnam
2. 1 July 1965 CIA Subcomm. of Vietnam
House Armed Services Dominican Republic
Soviet Military
Developments
Algeria
Indonesia
South America
Cuba
Bulgaria
Yemen
Cyprus
Congo
3. 9 July 1965 CIA Subcommittee Vietnam
House Appropriations Peru
Columbia
Dominican Republic
4. 9 July 1965 CIA Subcommittees of Vietnam
Senate Armed Services Dominican Republic
and Sen. Appropriations Colombia
Peru
Ecuador
Congo
Lebanon
Israel
5. 19 July 1965 Senate Foreign Dominican Republic
Relations Comm.
6. 26 July 1965 House Science and Soviet Space
Astronautics Comm. Program
7. 29 July 1965 CIA Subcommittee of Vietnam
House Armed Services Dominican Republic
[...]
Respectfully yours,
W. F. Raborn, Director
####
[Memorandum on file at the LBJ Library, dated September 20, 1966, to W. W.
Rostow, from Richard Helms, Director of Central Intelligence, titled
"Senatorial Briefing" regarding CIA study of North Vietnam]:
1. Pursuant to your call on 2 September; forwarding the President's
desire that I brief Senators Mansfield, Russell, and Fulbright on the
findings of the "Will to Persist" study, I met with these gentlemen at 9:30
on 19 September (...).
2. I presented the core of the "Will to Persist" study orally, and
answered a variety of questions about force levels, infiltration rates, and
related military questions. Then, to make certain that all of the findings
had been given proper emphasis, I handed each of the Senators a summary of
these points, so that they could read together precisely the same language as
was used in the study. When they had finished reading, the discussion began
and lasted until 10:30.
3. In point of fact, the three Senators talked largely among themselves,
and it was clear that positions which each had previously held about the
Vietnamese war failed to be influenced by the material in the study. (...)
4. At another point in the discussion, Senator Fulbright expressed his
disagreement with the contention which he claims Secretary Rusk has made,
i.e. that the United States military presence in Vietnam is keeping the
Chinese from expanding into Southeast Asia. The Senator commented that
Communist China is in a bad mess politically and economically and that she is
not going anywhere outside her borders for a long time to come.
5. At one point, Senator Fulbright asked me if the purpose of my
briefing on the study findings was designed to stop Senator Mansfield and
himself from criticizing the Administration's handling of the Vietnamese
situation. I replied "I received no such instructions from the President or
anyone else. I was simply asked to present to you gentlemen together the
results of this study." Senator Fulbright immediately dropped the issue.
6. Senator Russell stated that he had been interested in the content of
the briefing and that he would have by himself come to essentially the same
conclusion, although perhaps not couched in such "fine phrases". Senator
Mansfield, as he left the gathering, commented that he was particularly
pleased to note that the Agency had presented to the President such an
objective and thorough report.