national security directive
In the USA, secret decree issued by the president that can establish national policy and commit federal funds without the knowledge of Congress, under the National Security Act 1947. The National Security Council alone decides whether these directives may be made public; most are not. The directives have been criticized as unconstitutional, since they enable the executive branch of government to make laws.
History
In 1950 President Truman issued a secret directive for covert operations to foment ‘unrest and revolt’ in the Eastern bloc. J F Kennedy authorized an invasion of Cuba by this means (see
Bay of Pigs), and Lyndon Johnson approved military incursions into Laos during the Vietnam War. The US invasion of Grenada and the allocation of $19 million for the Central Intelligence Agency to start arming and training Contras in Central America were also authorized by national security directives.
