ABSTRACT
The Tower Commission, appointed by Ronald Reagan to investigate the Iran-Contra affair, stated that “there are certain functions which need to be performed in some way for any president.” For analytical purposes, these might be called the National Security Counsil (NSC) Staff’s “functional requisites.” To accomplish the clerical dimensions of the administration function, the NSC Staff employs a support group of unparalleled capability. The assistant to the president, supported by the NSC Staff, determines which issues will actually reach the president and the formal NSC for deliberation and decision. The NSC Staff has been generally successful in executing the coordination function. The NSC Staff must act as the interagency conduit for information if the function is to be effectively executed. The policy supervision function is widely accepted as an essential task for the NSC Staff. As a practical matter, adjudication can be greatly facilitated if the NSC Staff chairs the implementation monitoring committee.
