The Quest for Cryptologic Centralization and the Establishment of NSA: 1940 - 1952

Chapter 3. The Emerging National Intelligence Structure and the United States Communications Intelligence Board, 1946–1949

The period 1946–1949 marked the beginning of efforts at both the presidential and congressional levels to view intelligence matters as a national responsibility. As a first step toward the centralization of U.S. intelligence activities, in 1946 President Truman established a National Intelligence Authority (NIA) and a Central Intelligence Group (CIG). One year later, in the summer of 1947, Congress passed the National Security Act, which resulted in a further realignment of the national intelligence structure. This landmark legislation disestablished the NIA and CIG and created a National Security Council and a Central Intelligence ...