central intelligence (DCI), who must ultimately sign off on any such
proposal. Once approved by all relevant parties, the president signs
the finding. The Intelligence Authorization Act of 1991legislated
that findings must be approved prior to the commencement of a covert
operation and must be in writing. In addition, various other legal in-
struments, such as the Intelligence Oversight Act of 1980, stipulate
that the CIA—responsible for all aspects of covert actions—must no-
tify the congressional oversightcommittees of a finding in “a timely
manner,” understood to mean in advance of the covert action, unless
the president directs the CIAnot to do so for identifiable national se-
curity reasons. See alsoINTELLIGENCE OVERSIGHT.5412 SPECIAL GROUP.The group was a committee of the National
Security Council (NSC) that reviewed and authorized covert ac-
tionsduring the administrations of Presidents Dwight D.Eisen-
howerand John F. Kennedy. The establishment of the committee
was the result of a series of National Security Council directives
(NSCDs). On 15 March 1954, the NSC issued NSC Directive 5412—
hence the “5412” Special Group designation—reaffirming the re-
sponsibility of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to conduct
covert actions, defining the nature of such covert operations, and de-
scribing the process of coordinating the proposals. NSC Directive
5412/1, dated 12 March 1955, designated the CIA’s Planning Coor-
dination Group as the body responsible for coordinating covert oper-
ations. NSC Directive 5412/2, dated 28 December 1955, established
the 5412 Special Group as the executive body to review and approve
covert action programs. The committee normally was composed of
the national security advisor, representatives of the secretary of de-
fense and secretary of state, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
(JCS), and others. See also40 COMMITTEE; 303 COMMITTEE.FLYING TIGERS. Officially known as the American Volunteer Group
(AVG), the Flying Tigers were a small group of American airmen
who, at the beginning of World War II, flew missions against Japan-
ese forces under the flag of nationalist China. The formation of the
volunteer group was at the behest of President Franklin D. Roo-
seveltwho, in March 1941, decided secretly to assist the struggling
Chinese government against invading Japanese forces. President72 • 5412 SPECIAL GROUP05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 72