History of Intelligence in the United States 27
War threatened to become “hot,” with events such as the Cuban Missile
Crisis. In a very real sense, the Cold War gave birth to the U.S. intelligence
infrastructure.
National Security Act of 1947
Aer World War II, Congress and the President Truman realized that
they could no longer place a low priority on intelligence. At the same time,
Truman was concerned that an overly powerful intelligence infrastruc-
ture could damage liberty and privacy. He believed that the OSS was too
powerful for peacetime and that a civilian agency should be established.
He decided instead to appoint a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to
oversee events. As a further step, the Congress passed the National Securit