Before December 17, 2004 the
director of central intelligence (DCI) headed both the
Intelligence Community and the Central Intelligence Agency. In addition, DCI served as an advisor to the
president of the United States on intelligence matters and was the statutory intelligence advisor to the
National Security Council. The post of DCI was established in 1946 by
President Harry S. Truman; it thus predates the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency (created by the
National Security Act of 1947). After the end of
World War II, the
Office of Strategic Services was dismantled. Its functions were split between the departments of state and war. Truman soon recognized the inefficiency of this arrangement and created the
Central Intelligence Group, which could be considered a smaller precursor to the National Security Council. The following year the
National Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Council, while formally defining the duties of the director of Central Intelligence. The duties of the DCI had been further defined over the years by tradition, congressional acts, and
Executive Orders. Beginning in February 2017, the D/CIA was elevated to
Cabinet of the United States level status, as designated by the
Trump administration. This ended with the beginning of the
Biden administration. In July 2023, the D/CIA was once again elevated to
Cabinet of the United States level status by the Biden administration. ==Order of succession==