What did the declassified documents reveal?

On December seventeenth, nineteen-fifty-four, CBS Radio correspondent Bill Costello sent a letter to then-Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles, attaching a draft script for an Ed Murrow broadcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency record offers a rare glimpse into the early concerns regarding the agency's covert operations. You can find this document at The Black Vault, documents2.theblackvault.com. This document was declassified by the Central Intelligence Agency on March twelfth, two-thousand-four. Its release was part of an ongoing process to make historical records publicly accessible, allowing for greater transparency into the agency's early operations and its relationship with the press. In his letter, Bill Costello writes to Mr. Dulles: "Here is a copy of the script I have sent Ed Murrow for his consideration. We may revise it -- probably will in fact -- and I certainly want to make any revisions you might care to suggest for national security reasons. I have discussed the matter with Senator Mansfield, and feel that I am on reasonably solid grounds so far as policy is concerned. I am, believe me, most grateful for having had the opportunity to discuss the problem with you; and I assure you that you may count on my fullest cooperation in any matter affecting your fundamental intelligence operations. I might add, in passing, that I omitted all reference to you by name because I suspect you inherited some policy and were saddled with more. I assure you of my sincere respect for you personally. Bill Costello." The attached script reads: "Here in Washington, the Central Intelligence Agency is seldom discussed publicly, and then only in the vaguest kind of generalities. Even congressional committees receive only partial and secret briefings on the activities of C-I-A; and congress annually is asked to appropriate substantial sums of money on faith. The argument for this procedure is that the C-I-A is Uncle Sam's clearing house for the topmost secrets of the cold war; and an intelligence agency cannot function properly if it has to do its work in the glare of the public spotlight. One member of congress -- Democratic Senator Mike Mansfield of Montana -- has twice protested against the present system of letting the C-I-A operate without any kind of check from the legislative branch; he has introduced bills to provide for a monitoring committee of some kind; and he is preparing to introduce a third bill in January calling for the creation of a joint house-senate committee, somewhat similar to the joint committee dealing with atomic energy matters. It is considered likely that Senator Mansfield's proposal will get more serious attention next year than it has previously. Reason is that the C-I-A has ceased to be what it was originally -- a non-controversial intelligence agency. With the passage of time, basic policy has been modified; and the C-I-A has accumulated certain operational aspects having nothing to do with…

Why was this case declassified?

This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. The originating source document is linked on this page so the citation chain is auditable.

Case File · ARCHIVE-393Declassified

Filed SEP 28 · 2026Runtime 1 min

CIA On December Seventeenth, Nineteen Fifty Four, Cbs Radio Correspondent Bill

U.S. public record · FOIAUpdated September 28, 2026

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◆ BLUF — The short version

On December seventeenth, nineteen-fifty-four, CBS Radio correspondent Bill Costello sent a letter to then-Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles, attaching a draft script for an Ed Murrow broadcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency record offers a rare glimpse into the early concerns regarding the agency's covert operations.

Date: SEP 28 · 2026
Release: Declassified · U.S. public record (FOIA)
Source document: View the primary source document

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What was CIA On December Seventeenth, Nineteen Fifty Four, Cbs Radio Correspondent Bill about?: On December seventeenth, nineteen-fifty-four, CBS Radio correspondent Bill Costello sent a letter to then-Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles, attaching a draft script for an Ed Murrow broadcast. This declassified Central Intelligence Agency record offers a rare glimpse into the early concerns regarding the agency's covert operations.
Why was this case declassified?: This material entered the public record through the U.S. declassification and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) process. Storyflo narrates it directly from the public release.

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