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e Approved For Release 2008/11/06: CIA-RDP04M01816R000502010009-4 8 under the close supervision of a. postal inspector, but they were admonished that the mail could not be tampered with or delayed. From the very outset of this opera~ion, however, the CIA planned to convert the project into a mail opening operation. The major obstacle to accomplishing this goal was the constant presence of a postal inspector. The CIA thought that if it could establish procedures to photograph the ex- terior of the mail, it could obtain relatively unsupervised access to the mail. Such an expansion of the operation required contact by Director.of Central Intelligence ("DCI") Allen Dulles with postal officials. An undated memorandum prepared by the CIA's Director of Security in late 1953 noted that the New York mail operation was at that time confined to the inspection of covers only. It recon:mended that the project be discussed as soon as possible with the President and that a secret White House directive be issued jointly to the Central Intelligence Agency and the Post Office Department requesting those organiza- tions to make a 0 study" on the subject of the censorship of foreign mail. The memorandum noted that the CIA could then disclose its desires and requirements to the Post Office De- partment and take steps to implement the program on an expanded scale. This memorandum was not formally transmitted to Dulles but, on January 4, 1954, the Director of Security forwarded A roved For Release 2008/11/06: CIA-RDP04M01816R000502010009-4 .. .