In 1947, the U.S. Congress passed the National Security Act, which created the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Central Intelligence Agency. These institutions were often misused during the worst days of the Cold War and, more recently, in the Global War on Terror. Nevertheless, there are historical records on the decision making that took place, and there were successes in such fields as arms control and disarmament as well as the building of national security alliances in Europe and Asia. More
