Who Is President Truman's Limit CIA Role To Intelligence?
On December 22, 1963, a month after the assassination of President John F Kennedy, the Washington Post published an open letter written by former President Harry S Truman titled, “Limit CIA Role To Intelligence”.
Over half a century later, some people believe that Truman’s letter was more than just a warning; it was a glimpse into the future.
It was during Truman’s administration that the CIA was first organized. The TSW article titled “A Brief History of the CIA” describes how Truman signed the National Security Act that allowed the creation of the 1947 “civilian intelligence agency responsible for intelligence on matters of national security” – Central Intelligence agency (CIA) (1).
The CIA was the new improved version of its World War …show more content…
In his open letter, Truman explains why he felt it necessary to create such a clandestine American agency but he emphasizes the CIA was supposed to be an arm of the President, not the controlling entity it evolved into decades later (3).
Truman describes how, “For some time I have been disturbed by the way CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the Government.”
The former President wrote, “But there are now some searching questions that need to be answered. I, therefore, would like to see the CIA be restored to its original assignment as the intelligence arm of the President, and that whatever else it can properly perform in that special field— and that its operational duties be terminated or properly used elsewhere.”
cia headquarters
CIA Living Up to Truman’s Warnings?
In a January 2015 USA News & World Report article, Truman’s warning about the CIA is examined, especially the CIA’s use of torture in the wake of 9/11 …show more content…
US News states, “…the pattern is truly disturbing; in some cases, it was so disturbing that the CIA conducted internal reviews of its own actions.”
In July 2004, the BBC reported on the 1989 origins of Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden’s organizing the “anti-Soviet jihad”. During this timeframe, “Bin Laden and his fighters received American and Saudi funding. Some analysts believe Bin Laden himself had security training from the CIA” (5).
In June 2015, The Guardian stated that certain reports claimed in 2012 after the Gaddafi regime fell that MI6 and the CIA operated a ‘rat line’ of “arms transfers from Libyan stockpiles to the Syrian rebels” (6).
In September 2014, the NY Times reported from Baghdad that most of the people, including “the highest levels of Iraqi government” believed that the extremists (ISIS) were backed by the CIA (7).
The NY Times reported that just the week before the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr known to be “close to Iran” had openly in public “blamed the CIA for creating the Islamic State.” The article further stated that “the theory is popular there [Iran] as
Over half a century later, some people believe that Truman’s letter was more than just a warning; it was a glimpse into the future.
It was during Truman’s administration that the CIA was first organized. The TSW article titled “A Brief History of the CIA” describes how Truman signed the National Security Act that allowed the creation of the 1947 “civilian intelligence agency responsible for intelligence on matters of national security” – Central Intelligence agency (CIA) (1).
The CIA was the new improved version of its World War …show more content…
In his open letter, Truman explains why he felt it necessary to create such a clandestine American agency but he emphasizes the CIA was supposed to be an arm of the President, not the controlling entity it evolved into decades later (3).
Truman describes how, “For some time I have been disturbed by the way CIA has been diverted from its original assignment. It has become an operational and at times a policy-making arm of the Government.”
The former President wrote, “But there are now some searching questions that need to be answered. I, therefore, would like to see the CIA be restored to its original assignment as the intelligence arm of the President, and that whatever else it can properly perform in that special field— and that its operational duties be terminated or properly used elsewhere.”
cia headquarters
CIA Living Up to Truman’s Warnings?
In a January 2015 USA News & World Report article, Truman’s warning about the CIA is examined, especially the CIA’s use of torture in the wake of 9/11 …show more content…
US News states, “…the pattern is truly disturbing; in some cases, it was so disturbing that the CIA conducted internal reviews of its own actions.”
In July 2004, the BBC reported on the 1989 origins of Al-Qaeda and Osama Bin Laden’s organizing the “anti-Soviet jihad”. During this timeframe, “Bin Laden and his fighters received American and Saudi funding. Some analysts believe Bin Laden himself had security training from the CIA” (5).
In June 2015, The Guardian stated that certain reports claimed in 2012 after the Gaddafi regime fell that MI6 and the CIA operated a ‘rat line’ of “arms transfers from Libyan stockpiles to the Syrian rebels” (6).
In September 2014, the NY Times reported from Baghdad that most of the people, including “the highest levels of Iraqi government” believed that the extremists (ISIS) were backed by the CIA (7).
The NY Times reported that just the week before the Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr known to be “close to Iran” had openly in public “blamed the CIA for creating the Islamic State.” The article further stated that “the theory is popular there [Iran] as