[pjhoward]

President Roosevelt had no particular connection with the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Yes, he was an Assistant Secretary of the Navy during WWI, but there was no special connection with the ONI than there was with the War Department's G-2. There is some indication that McCollum's "Eight Point" memo did not even get as far as Captain Anderson, the Head of ONI at the time. The endorsement of McCollum's immediate superior indicates it was sent back to him without being forwarded on.

[aristeides]

It has been several years since I read the history of ONI published by the Naval Institute Press, and I do not have my copy handy, but I certainly got the impression from that book that there was a special relationship between FDR and ONI.

[RobbyS]

President Roosevelt had no particular connection with the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI). Yes, he was an Assistant Secretary of the Navy during WWI, but there was no special connection with the ONI than there was with the War Department's G-2. Roosevelt, however, would have more than a layman's understanding of how intelligence worked. I can't see this very unbureaucratic mind NOT trying to get data unfiltered by the brass.