Documents / FOIA release
This Central Intelligence Agency historical essay, of unknown date, profiles the first three Directors of Central Intelligence: Sidney Souers, Hoyt Vandenberg and Roscoe Hillenkoetter. It describes their reluctance to serve, the setup of the Central Intelligence Group, the push for the National Security Act and the CIA Act of 1949, and criticism of Hillenkoetter's leadership. It notes that Hillenkoetter served on the board of NICAP, a civilian UFO group, from 1957 to 1962.
For all the criticism of his directorship, Hillenkoetter could point to a major achievement—the CIA Act of 1949. In congressional hearings, he stressed the urgency of passing this enabling legislation, which had been postponed in 1947 to minimize controversy. A key element of the act was a provision that would enable the Agency to expend funds without regard to the laws and regulations that governed the expenditure of government money. The act also gave CIA a number of other significant administrative authorities that would prove valuable to Hillenkoetter’s successors.26 After completing his Korean War tour, Hillenkoetter commanded the Brooklyn Navy Yard and the Third Military District.27 He retired from the navy in 1957 and became a director of Electronic and Missile Facilities, Inc. During 1957-1962, he also served on the board of the National Investigations Committee on Aerial Phenomena (NICAP), a civilian UFO group that enjoyed high visibility and a board stocked with prominent retired military officers. He died of emphysema in New York City on 18 June 1982. 26 Britt Snider, The Agency and the Hill: CIA’s Relationship with Congress, 1946-2004 (Washington, DC: CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence, 2008), pp. 141-142. 27 Pforzheimer.
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. 7 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.