In 1947 Congress created the Central Intelligence Agency and wrote down what it was allowed to do. Advise the National Security Council. Make recommendations to it. Correlate and evaluate intelligence. The same sentence says the agency shall have no police, subpoena, law enforcement or internal security functions.  
  
Then comes a fifth duty: to perform "such other functions and duties related to intelligence affecting the national security as the National Security Council may from time to time direct."  
  
Eleven months later that one sentence was the stated legal authority for propaganda, economic warfare, sabotage, demolition and subversion against foreign governments. The directive says so in its own text. Twenty-nine years after that, a United States Senate committee read the same law and found that authority for covert action "cannot be found in the National Security Act," and that the executive should have gone to Congress for it.  
  
This is where that sentence came from, what was built on it, and who eventually asked whether it had ever meant what it was taken to mean.  
  
Three men are heard in their own voices: Admiral Husband Kimmel, who commanded at Pearl Harbor, telling Congress that the information existed in Washington and never reached him; President Truman, a month after abolishing the wartime spy service; and Secretary of State James Byrnes, arguing in 1946 that a democracy has to conduct its disagreements in the open.  
  
Episode one of a series on the Central Intelligence Agency. Next: Iran, 1953.  
  
CHAPTERS  
[0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I) Open  
[0:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=11s) One sentence, and what was read into it  
[1:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=99s) Pearl Harbor: the warnings nobody gathered  
[3:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=215s) Donovan builds a spy service from nothing  
[6:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=367s) The two-year fight over who owns American intelligence  
[9:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=542s) July 1947: what the law actually says  
[10:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=623s) June 1948: sabotage, subversion and deniability  
[13:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=835s) A world-wide machine  
[14:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzoKk4EKM6I&t=883s) 1975: the Senate reads the same law  
  
DOCUMENTS ON SCREEN  
The National Security Act of 1947 (CIA file copy)  
[https://archive.org/details/cia-readi...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUVNZemk3VFJUcUtweFNKY3RLMzhncXxBR3JiS2FuU0NJUEx5b1RUcmZzY3ZyMUhMV1RydktSTExOTEhuYTFZZW5jY21OajZnUVU2b3hEWS1BZFI3TXJPQ2JSMXdOZ29sYXpKanZsWjFPMk51S1RIMVR5X3V5bWFaaUJ5&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcia-readingroom-document-cia-rdp80-01240a000500040002-2&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
NSC 4-A, Psychological Operations, 9 December 1947  
[https://history.state.gov/historicald...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUmRPV2x6NTkxNkhndEZRdzlXWngyTnxBR3JiS2FuM3lDck9oTHprLW9MYnBadWh4YXR5WXJWbmo5dkRUblcxbTR1aGJYaEcwVDhRVFdvZGVMTFpRNERaS0EzQ3NVNzNuZTdDcDVXQkxfM0NreDBBNGFYbkE3WTJUVHRo&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.state.gov%2Fhistoricaldocuments%2Ffrus1945-50Intel%2Fd253&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
NSC 10/2, Office of Special Projects, 18 June 1948  
[https://history.state.gov/historicald...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rU09sUnBSeEp1ZTIzWkx5YjdIMU9MYXxBR3JiS2FtcEZtc3JsdVFyTGR5bFk1MEI5cC1FcDYtMllKTHFpcUVuWUgxcFVsLXFoTEpPN0k5U0FGVjJCMmVvTDFEek1IRW1HUWhEUFdxaktqSG9TLVhlbjV2YXQ1OERuY0Fz&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.state.gov%2Fhistoricaldocuments%2Ffrus1945-50Intel%2Fd292&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Donovan to President Truman, 25 August 1945  
[https://history.state.gov/historicald...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUmpBeWpMVkZKd1Q4WmlYT1BjRHBCbnxBR3JiS2Frc3pKSjZrNlZVdUg0N0p4RFVzendRRFUzV3Z5ZVpMOXI2ME4wNzFMcEhPTGRfNFl1cWNDaVRnWWFkdFg0N2Jmd1hXYkRYVmxhVEd2cU00VFVoNC1kcU9OUkVtamxJ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.state.gov%2Fhistoricaldocuments%2Ffrus1945-50Intel%2Fd3&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Hoover to the Attorney General, 29 August 1945  
[https://history.state.gov/historicald...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUVpzNWhuZm92dmZsWVViSnpIQXlzZnxBR3JiS2FtdlRXUDd0eVVZYUxfSHl2RXVNZlBpNDU3V2NWaUtocGJGUm1XZ1VnWlI3eHBvMnNlNHpBQU5SYi13WE9ZZVlOTjVldFRCT1RSR1JZU2ZINUFlc0Q2ZHVmVlZFS1I5&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.state.gov%2Fhistoricaldocuments%2Ffrus1945-50Intel%2Fd5&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Minutes of the first meeting of the National Security Council, 26 September 1947  
[https://history.state.gov/historicald...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUU9NRmVjUFItRTJBRm15MmlRTXgyUHxBR3JiS2FsNWlBVG4tOUdONXZVTEZ4TVo4ZTR4RUs2VkNfcEtPcjdYRjR2WE03Tmg4R1BhMW1DT0xvcFVQTkE2SnlDTkZOT05IODFyaThsdURrbWVrc3Q3NDkwMFZMa2o2dHJw&q=https%3A%2F%2Fhistory.state.gov%2Fhistoricaldocuments%2Ffrus1945-50Intel%2Fd225&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Survey of the Office of Policy Coordination, 24 May 1951  
[https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP80...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUnFVTXZ1SUpxWTlUbjlRUXBfcTZaTHxBR3JiS2FuNDZrV283ZlZ2YnU3bzNCY1o2amdTNE95Q1hXbGJpVDNUSXp2VTFZd2Q3YWE1bHg1WFJ4MGlUakRiOENvYmpYMWpQRmZiWk5NZ3hXU1BvUjVBUnU5R1VKWUdqcWxj&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2FCIA-RDP80R01731R001100120001-0&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
War Report of the OSS, volumes 1 and 2  
[https://archive.org/details/OSSWarRep...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUUVJb1dFb244UjRkUEx2cU5ZWDdJaXxBR3JiS2FtNEtraGdFclNDdGtKMjRjZE9WcUkwNDVoc05POENESUkxcXBqRWxFUkFacHFGaElXWm1fTVlZVlJpN3pRYW9temJFdGtvWDhfZDgxV1NMcERTZzFJTlJWMkY4RVF2&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2FOSSWarReportHQAndOrganization&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
[https://archive.org/details/warreport...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUWVJSldveWgtUUY1d2hDdVBZbE5CMnxBR3JiS2FtRXd3SFc0MDJaaHVWUDM2MXFHLVpzTU1NMmx6ZE50WEZndGtQcmFzUjlDQXNTei1LaHlJLWhtT3NlamphaUxodl9QbGRZdm1yaDBqSnF2UkozTWxjQlEtUURsdEpS&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fwarreportofossof02unit&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Pearl Harbor Attack, hearings of the joint congressional committee, 1946  
[https://archive.org/details/pearlharb...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUlpUNTBsZXVUNU9wSFA2TERnTlBvOHxBR3JiS2FteHltX3MtWWRtN3FEYnFXZUFWY3ZyMlJieHFtMndfWlg5NWdwX0pmMzNWSHdnM0s4X2pTM2REc1k2a2JwVTdfel9pZXJhdnFMemtRXzFKVE9KMHlETXZvcmlkeHJM&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fpearlharborattac01unit&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
The Family Jewels, released 2007  
[https://archive.org/details/the-famil...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUnpGdkF2Q3JBVmxlOVkxNlNSVS13bXxBR3JiS2Frak5BNFVGd0VVSjNVd3ByRmlwZ1BKYVZCVzBEaEJ5MGJxTndyRzFwcUxvWmZPNVpMOHk5SFBMY0pTSnNteXpvdXpwbzgwakppT0ZNM2hyU18yVTFrR3A2S3gyQUd0&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fthe-family-jewels-cia&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Senate hearing on CIA activities, 22 January 1975  
[https://archive.org/details/CIA-RDP77...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rUXR5YmxRTXRLM0NvUXlhQ0FCR3k3dHxBR3JiS2FsTnZJQ1YwaEM5bnEzWDBrMUFHUFM4MXl0eG42YUstUlJ3ZEtaMWx3SGNfWENhUFgybFpMNDJxM2t2OUxsNVFmM3I1MzRPUFFEMWxhOXJtY21sWHBPUG5Hd0hkZkRf&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2FCIA-RDP77M00144R000300040025-1&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Final Report of the Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations  
with Respect to Intelligence Activities, Book I, 1976  
[https://archive.org/details/finalrepo...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rU0lqcEN5bHlPeF9WekFUSnFSMVlsZXxBR3JiS2FuVHlUV1NmRHRleVl0Q2RtX3plNm5jdm5iSXlTVTgzMVdha2t4X0JzLVlzRVBZZnJJRjdCNS1qa1lVS3NlOFJHcTNRWVBqMi1uZU13VUV3dDF3alFlTElkRTFqay1X&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Ffinalreportofsel01unit&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
ARCHIVE FILM  
Thirty-five reels from the Universal Newsreel collection at [archive.org](http://archive.org), which is  
public domain, plus one National Archives film (gov.archives.arc.34628). The three  
carrying natural sound are:  
  
Adm. Kimmel Testifies On Pearl Harbor, 14 January 1946  
[https://archive.org/details/1946-01-1...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rU3NRam82YTRZRFV2bEV4dHV0SXgzTXxBR3JiS2FrVnVQVzdFRXdwSmpFRjd0N3FKS01vNEdndklNX0pXN1dUVThwYkFiZFFZQXhqYnNxMUhGMDBBRkhzT3J4U0F4SDlNOUlNMm1UeXNiQzRyTFI4bWlGTDVZb2ZScjZY&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2F1946-01-14_Adm_Kimmel_Testifies_On_Pearl_Harbor&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Truman Asks One Year's Army Service, 25 October 1945  
[https://archive.org/details/1945-10-2...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rU2p6emEyODRNaFJzWk5Ma2xxX2x5THxBR3JiS2Fra2gyTkVlYzRGQjVJYjktNGJJQkw2RGxpWm9kUm02aUpjWlNQVlNqQ19wVDh6cVNlSm1rajlqel96X0d3VDBlSFY2ODBzMVBRbU9ZRDR4OXllcDQyR3JFeG04Q3FG&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2F1945-10-25_Truman_Asks_One_Years_Army_Service&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Byrnes Wants All To Share Peacemaking, 17 October 1946  
[https://archive.org/details/1946-10-1...](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUM4Zm9rVFpTLWs3cmRGcHlWWHYxS0c5aWQyYXxBR3JiS2FtRC1seHQzeVozUGV0Zzdadm5KdmRxNmluaWFpQ2VHMDJlYUVfaVZ1SWdoYWhNckd5YzViVXpqSlVkRkpfbmYwOGJmUzBTVmM4TjI1di1oOWdTOXNvdV9xcG1YeXQx&q=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2F1946-10-17_Byrnes_Wants_All_To_Share_Peacemaking&v=YzoKk4EKM6I)  
  
Photographs are from Wikimedia Commons and are public domain or freely licensed.  
  
Every claim on screen carries who said it, when, and how strong the evidence is.

The CIA; Inception, and Implementation