|
|
Encyclopedia entry: National Security Council
- Article from:
- The Oxford Companion to United States History
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Companion to United States History 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
|
National Security Council.
Established by the
National Security Act of 1947
, the National Security Council was created largely by Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal, who wanted to ensure that civilian secretaries of the military services as well as the secretary of defense would have close contact with the president.After amendments to the National Security Act in 1949 eliminated the service secretaries, the National Security Council consisted of the president (as chair), the vice president, and the secretaries of state and defense, although other participants were added by succeeding presidents. The council's duty is to “advise the President with respect to the integration of ...