The Workings of the National Security System: Past, Present, and Future

THE WORKINGS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE Clark M. Clifford—An Interview with Philip Geyelin The National Security Act, passed by Congress in 1947, recast and streamlined the World War II defense establishment into a postwar security systemfor the United States. Two key provisions ofthe act were the creation ofthe National Security Council, composed oftop-level government officiah charged with advising the president on security matters, and the Central Intelligence Agency, established to replace the wartime Office ofStrategic Services. In addition, the act placed the army, the navy, and the newly created airforce under a secretary ofdefense. Finally, itformalized theJoint Chiefs ofStaff. The 1949 Security Act Amendmentsfurther integrated the three armed services into a single Department ofDefense under the office of the defense secretary. As special counsel to president Trumanfrom 1946 to 1950, Clark M. Clifford was a principal architect ofthe 1947 act and its subsequent amendments. In thefollowingpages he reflects on the goals that shaped thefounding ofthe national security system and comments on its more recent performance as revealed during the congressional inquiry into Iranian arms sales and the subsequent diversion ofproceeds to the Contras. He concludes this account, told to Philip Geyelin, editor-in-residence at TheJohns Hopkins Foreign Policy Institute and syndicated columnist, with specific recommendationsfor thefuture. Quoted material attributed to others are Mr. Clifford's characterizations of statements made or anticipated. Clark M. Clifford served as special counsel to president Truman from 1946 to 1950. He returned to public service in 1960 as a member of the Committee on the Defense Establishment and in 1 962 became chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board underJohn F. Kennedy. He was secretary of defense under theJohnson administration from March 1968 toJanuary 1969. 19 20 SAIS REVIEW Designing the Postwar Security Apparatus— What Did Truman Have in Mind? TL ie creation of the original National Security Act grew out of president Truman's conviction that the bombing of Pearl Harbor could have been avoided. "We must never again conduct our government without having a center of intelligence," he told me. At the time of Pearl Harbor the State Department had certain information. The army and navy each had certain information. Even the Commerce Department had important data about the amount ofscrap iron theJapanese were buying. Other departments, maybe even the Treasury, had intelligence too. But there was no central point for all that information. "If we'd all had that information in one agency, by God, I believe we could have foreseen what was going to happen in Pearl Harbor," Truman said. So he decided to create an intelligence agency. First he established by executive order what was called the Central Intelligence Group. It worked, and we learned from it. When the 1947 National Security Act went into effect, we included in it the creation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA had two major functions. First, it was to be the repository for all of the intelligence that was received by other government departments and agencies. The army was to keep its intelligence, as was the navy because it had available experienced intelligence people. State was to keep intelligence as well, but they all were to feed their information into the Central Intelligence Agency. So, initially, the CIA was to collect intelligence from the government. As time went on it was natural that the CIA would begin to get its own intelligence— the second major CIA function — but it was never considered at the time that the CIA was to be a covert agency. Such a role was not in Truman's mind at all. I remember something else that was important to him. We created the National Security Council (NSC) in the 1947 law. "I want an advisory group," he said. "They are not to have any operating function. They do not make decisions. I don't ever want to see anything come out of the National Security Council that's called a decision of any kind. Any recommendations they have to make they make to me as president of the United States, and I make the decisions," he said. I remember that very clearly. Everybody understood that the NSC...