Letter from Allen W. Dulles to Honorable Gordon H. Scherer regarding Thomas H. Eickhoff

This document is a formal letter dated October 4, 1955, from Allen W. Dulles, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, to the Honorable Gordon H. Scherer of the House of Representatives. The letter serves as a response to a previous communication from Representative Scherer dated September 15, 1955, which had enclosed a letter from a constituent named Thomas H. Eickhoff. In his response, Dulles clarifies that the concerns raised by Mr. Eickhoff fall outside the jurisdiction of the CIA. He cites Section 102(d) of the National Security Act of 1947, noting that the Agency lacks police, subpoena, law-enforcement powers, or internal-security functions. The letter specifically addresses Mr. Eickhoff's interest in pursuing allegations of mail fraud connected to the book 'Inside The Space Ships' by George Adamski. Dulles states that the CIA is legally barred from involvement in such matters. Furthermore, he explains that as a matter of policy, the CIA does not comment on the truth or falsity of material contained in books or other published statements, and therefore cannot comment on the authenticity of the pictures found in Adamski's book. Dulles concludes by suggesting that the subject matter of the book would be more appropriately addressed by the Department of Defense or the National Science Foundation, and returns Mr. Eickhoff's original letter to Representative Scherer for his files.