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done their best to conduct an operation in support of national policy despite a continuing series of restrictions which . were such as to guarantee ~ai1ure of the operation before it was launched. The DCI also weas1ed in his testimony with regard to the question of whether General Cabell and Mr. Bissell had to go to the Secretary of State for decisions on operational matters and did not have direct access to President Kennedy. Dulles's response to a statement of this nature was: Yes, that was our general view, that Mr. Rusk spoke for the President with regard to policy considerations which permitted or inhibited certain types of actions. Let me go back to the fact that on the 5412 Committee we looked to the State representatives to tell us whether this could or couldn't be done. Question: Do you think that after D-Day CIA did not have direct access to the President? Response: General Cabell and Mr. Bissell would say, yes, but their understanding of procedure was that the Secretary of State was acting on these things in the name of the President. Mr. Kennedy: I just note that I was there during those few days and they were in continuous presence. Mr. Bissell was talking with the President practically continuously. All the decisions that were made, were made by the President. They weren't made by Dean Rusk.. Statement: Yes, but I gather that when D-Day started, there were a number of requests for relaxation of the ground ~ules, and that the senior CIA repre- sentatives fe~t they should go to State 162 I