Editing Sidney Souers (section)

=== Director of Central Intelligence ===
Sidney Souers was appointed member of a joint committee of [[United States Department of State|State]], [[United States Department of War|War]] and [[United States Department of the Navy|Navy]] department employees in December 1944, chaired by [[Ferdinand Eberstadt (policy advisor)|Ferdinand Eberstadt]] and tasked with creating what would become known as the [[Eberstadt Report]]. In the report, Souers argued for the creation of a new central intelligence organization after the war that was to be under civilian as opposed to military control. By late 1945, Souers' proposal had come to the attention of president [[Harry S. Truman]], who personally ordered Souers to send a memo to [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[James Forrestal]] on the president's approval of the proposition.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/august/how-admiral-souers-shaped-national-security-system |title=How Admiral Souers Shaped the National Security System |author=Briem, Christopher |publisher=United States Naval Institute |date=August 2020 |access-date=September 13, 2024 }}</ref>

[[File:President Truman in the Cabinet Room of the White House with the National Security Council. L to R around table... - NARA - 199860.tif|left|thumb|Souers (third from left) meeting with President Truman at a White House meeting of the [[United States National Security Council|National Security Council]], August 19, 1948]]
On January 22, 1946, the [[National Intelligence Authority]] was officially established, with president Truman appointing Souers as director of its [[Central Intelligence Group]] (CIG). Souers agreed to serve as interim director until a permanent director could be appointed. Souers was initially tasked with giving [[President's Daily Brief|daily intelligence briefings]] to president Truman on current developments in intelligence and national security.<ref name=":3" /> Despite being the inaugural holder of the office of Director of Central Intelligence, Souers was insistent on returning to his civilian business career, and was reluctantly relieved of his duties by president Truman on June 7, 1946 following the nomination of [[Hoyt Vandenberg]] as CIG director.<ref>{{Cite news |title=TRUMAN ELEVATES GEN. VANDENBERG |language=en |work=The New York Times |url=http://timesmachine.nytimes.comhttp//timesmachine.content-tagging.us-east-1-01.prd.dvsp.nyt.net/timesmachine/1946/06/08/93126067.html?pageNumber=21 |access-date=2023-11-30}}</ref>