CIA Born: Truman Signs the National Security Act
Harry Truman signed the National Security Act on July 26, 1947, the most sweeping reorganization of American government since the Constitution. The law created the Central Intelligence Agency from the wartime Office of Strategic Services, established the Department of Defense by merging the War and Navy departments, made the Air Force an independent branch, formalized the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and established the National Security Council. The Act was a direct response to Pearl Harbor: the intelligence failures that allowed the attack proved that the Army and Navy couldn't continue operating as independent fiefdoms. The CIA received a mandate so broadly worded that it would justify covert operations, regime changes, and surveillance programs for the next eight decades.
July 26, 1947
79 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Central Intelligence Agency
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Harry S. Truman
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United States Air Force
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Cold War
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Joint Chiefs of Staff
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United States law
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National Security Act of 1947
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United States Department of Defense
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United States National Security Council
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Law of the United States
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