Frank Wisner Quotes
There are times when the Central Intelligence Agency makes policy by default.
Actually, this is true for most government agencies and many non-government institutions as well. The concern is greater when organizations whose policies can affect life and death are not consciously developing and choosing policy alternatives and yet the policies are made by default.
Frank Wisner, Special Presidential Envoy to Egypt, CIA Official and Ambassador to Several Nations including Egypt Central Intelligence Agency Meeting, August 10, 1953
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
The major idea of intelligence agencies in a democracy is for the intelligence agencies to provide the policy makers with facts on the ground and data with which they can make sounder policies. However, many times the policies of the administration is so firm that the political ideology restrict not only the kinds of analysis the intelligence agencies do, but in some cases shape or control the conclusions of otherwise sound studies. The influence of Vice President Cheney on the CIA and the invasion of Iraq.
Intelligence agents tend to prefer covert activities to the less dramatic, non-exciting, activity of gathering and analyzing intelligence. Most national intelligence services tend to enlarge their portfolio to include covert activities regardless of what the national leaders intended. Because of the secrecy, they can often get away with this.
Frank Gardiner Wisner was one of the founding officers of the Central Intelligence Agency and played a major role in Agency operation throughout the 1950s.
