Truman and the Formation of the Central Intelligence Agency

ABSTRACT The National Security Act of 1947 gives insight into the value of intelligence to the proponents of the bill. The formation of the CIA capped two years of change in the existing intelligence agencies. The Office of Strategic Studies (OSS) closed shop after the war, and the Central Intelligence Group (CIG) was destined to fail even from the time of its creation in January 1946. Although President Harry S Truman may have had some interest in the formation of the CIA, there were other factors here. The fact that his administration established the most prominent intelligence agency in U.S. history does not necessarily mean that he was a keen authority on foreign intelligence. Truman had only a marginal role in the formation of the government’s foreign intelligence apparatus and showed only a limited understanding of the gathering and use of foreign intelligence during the first two years of his presidency.