A History of U.S. Communications Intelligence during World War II: Policy and Administration

Chapter 6. Continued Jurisdictional Problems regarding Clandestine Communications

THE RADIO INTELLIGENCE DIVISION

In spite of having been frozen out of COMINT policy matters in 1942 by the Army, Navy, and FBI, the Radio Intelligence Division (RID) of the FCC continued its extensive intercept and DF operations against clandestine communications. The significance of the RID effort was emphasized by its prominent place in the informal intercept committee that met weekly from August 1942 to August 1943. (See section 5 of chapter 2.) Nonetheless, efforts to dismantle the RID or to incorporate its personnel and equipment into the armed forces continued.

In September 1942 Secretary of the Navy Knox had initiated a high-level inquiry into RID activity when ...