Abstract This paper begins with the history of the position and moves forward to the appointment of John Negroponte as the first Director of National Intelligence. The essay discusses the many roles associated with the Director of Central Intelligence. The essay quotes past and present politicians on their opinions of the position; to include the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the 9/11 Commission.
From the Paper "In 1947, then President, Harry Truman signed into law The National Security Act of 1947. The National Security Act gave three primary responsibilities to the Director of Central Intelligence. First, the DCI was responsible for providing national intelligence to the President, members of the President's cabinet (where applicable), and to members of Congress (again where applicable). Second, the DCI would serve as the head of the intelligence community (IC). The DCI was responsible for establishing the priorities for collection and analysis of raw intelligence. The DCI formulated and presented the IC budget to the President and to Congress. The DCI also had very limited ability to transfer funds and personnel throughout the National Foreign Intelligence Program (NFIP). Third, the DCI was to serve as the head of the Central Intelligence Agency. Here the DCI supervised the entire bureaucracy of the CIA. The DCI was in charge of human sources, overseeing the analyzing of raw intelligence, and undertaking covert operations when directed to by the President."
