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Free
Politics Term
Paper - Creation of CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency or
CIA was created in accordance with the National Security Act
1947. It was the post-world war period after which the USA and
the USSR emerged as new super powers. A cold war started between
the two and the US authorities strongly felt the need to contain
expanding communism and to protect their interests and maintain
a balance of power with the Soviet Union. Moreover, during the
war period, the US army and naval intelligence agencies
exhibited certain loopholes in their working that created a
serious concern among the government personnel to have a
peacetime civilian secret agency. The attack of Pearl Harbor by
Japanese on July 7, 1941 was one of those events that were
mishandled.
Before the incidence of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt called Major General William Donovan, the hero of
World War I to establish a spy service named Office of Strategic
Service, OSS in June 1942. The OSS was given limited powers and
was allowed to act inside its specific jurisdiction. In October
1945, the OSS was dissolved and the State and War departments
carried out its functions. In January 1946 the Central
Intelligence Group (CIG) was formed to work under the
supervision of the National Intelligence Authority (NIA) until
the National Security Act 1947 replaced NIA with the National
Security Council and CIG with CIA.
The main factor behind the creation of CIA was to create an
organization directly reporting to the president and aimed to
safeguards American interests around the globe and halts the
spread of communism. ‘The CIA was created by President Truman as
an insurance policy against the kind of surprise that caught
America off guard in World War II’. (Speeches and Testimony)
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CIA is answerable directly to the President and the National
Security Council. The head of CIA, the Director is appointed by
the president and ‘serves as the principal adviser to the
President and the National Security Council on all matters of
foreign intelligence related to national security’. (CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE AGENCY)
The CIA derives its legal cover from the National Security Act
1947 and the Central Intelligence Act 1949 and authorizes it to
operate beyond rules that apply to other government agencies.
CIA has a ‘secret charter’ that contains a series of classified
executive orders called National Security Directives (NSCIDs or
en-skids). These directives were ‘codified’ in 1959 and are
available only to a few top government officials. (Victor, John)
CIA enjoys unlimited powers provided to it under the
constitution. It is responsible for gathering and evaluation of
information regarding the security of the USA. Through its
different sections, it conducts research and analysis of
economic, political, scientific, technical and military affairs.
‘The CIA also coordinates the activities of the United States
intelligence community, which includes agencies such as the
Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the National Security
Agency (NSA). In addition, the CIA takes overall responsibility
for gathering information from other U.S. intelligence agencies,
analyzing the separate pieces of information from each source,
and providing a recommendation to the president of the United
States and the president’s advisers’. (CIA)
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It is involved in all kinds of spying activities inside and
outside the country. NSCID 7 empowers CIA to investigate the US
citizens about foreign travels. This role was, however, limited
by President Jimmy Carter in 1977 and prohibited CIA from using
intrusive surveillance methods such as bugging of private
telephones and censoring of mails. In special cases it was
required to seek presidential authorization and approval of the
Attorney General. In 1981, President Reagan re-strengthened the
organization and in 1982, he signed a law that makes it a crime
to reveal the names of CIA officers in secret operations.
The CIA organization, functions and operations are highly
confidential and its budget, salaries and spending are not
liable to be declared. The CIA Act of 1949 is the statutory
authority for the secrecy of the Agency's budget. Currently CIA
operates in almost all the countries in the world mainly through
the diplomatic missions of the United States.
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