Clarence Cannon and the Creation of Modern Intelligence

Those who have grown up in and around the town of Elsberry have undoubtedly heard the name of Clarence Cannon. The renowned Representative Cannon, of Missouri’s Ninth Congressional District, was born, raised, and lived, until the day he died, in our very own Elsberry. Despite the familiarity, very few know what he did. Not many realize the exact scope of Cannon’s influence, which was magnificent. Even fewer realize that Cannon was the leader of the Appropriations Committee, the clasp of the proverbial purse that is Congress. Fewer still may realize that Cannon was instrumental in the formation of our modern intelligence community. However, Clarence Cannon most certainly was each of these things, and Cannon used his power, and his position, to create the organizations that would become integral throughout the Cold War and into the modern day.

Clarence Cannon was, by all accounts, a quiet man, a self-proclaimed “dirt farmer.”(1) At times he was described as crotchety, cranky, and cantankerous, but none questioned his absolute devotion to his district or his district's devotion to him.(2) Cannon’s quick ascent through the rungs of the Washington ladder saw him heading the Appropriations Committee. This powerful committee grants funds for various government agencies. Under Cannon’s leadership, the committee decided what got consideration and which programs withered away into obscurity with no funding. Cannon was well known for his tight leash on government spending, detesting deficits and abhorring waste.(3) There were stories even of Cannon nearly halting the production of the Atomic Bomb as he felt the development of it was a waste of funds.(4) This speaks both to his power over our nation's affairs and the role he filled. Cannon viewed himself as the defender of the every-man. He felt our tax dollars were a privilege granted to the government, to be used in our benefit, not to be wasted in useless dead-end programs. It was this stalwart defense of fiscal conservatism that lead Cannon to new heights, making him one of the most valuable players in Washington. It was this quiet notoriety and intellectual superiority that lead to him attracting the attention of the suffering intelligence community. The bastions of clandestine operations, who found themselves at full stride during World War II, suddenly found the rug pulled out from under them, and were wishing to place themselves back on their feet.

After World War II ended, the intelligence agency that had been developed during the war, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), was in dire straights. President Truman felt that with the War over, there was little need for the OSS. Truman liquidated the agency, but the heads of the OSS had different ideas.(5) They recognized the power vacuum in Europe that had just been opened and felt very strongly that intelligence was needed more than ever as the Soviets became increasingly hostile. However, their concerns fell on deaf ears with Truman, and instead they turned to Elsberry’s very own Clarence Cannon. Cannon listened to their concerns, and they stuck a deal. The OSS would routinely provide Cannon with foreign policy information, some of which was classified, and in turn, Cannon would ensure the agency would have enough funding to become a powerful intelligence organization that we now know as the CIA. Several documents declassified in 2003 show correspondence between the CIA and Cannon requesting funding, often accompanied by still redacted memos of national interest to justify their need for funding. Cannon was so dominating that a CIA document describing a meeting between Cannon and the CIA legislative council member and director Allen Dulles states Cannon absolutely dominated the other man, running a budgetary meeting that had more to do with golf than budget, and discussed almost nothing of money. What Cannon allocated is what Secretary Dulles used.(6) Former Executive Director “Red” White states, “We’d tell him anything he wanted to know.” and goes on to say if they played by Cannon’s rules, “We got just about what we wanted.”(7)

Of course, few knew of this side of Cannon, he had a reputation as a man of sterling character, working with all of his power to better his constituency and keep the nation on track. This loyalty was reciprocated by Republicans and Democrats alike, as with each election, even Republicans would run ads asking for all reading to support Cannon in coming elections, even ones where he faced little to no opposition.(8) All citizens of the Ninth knew Cannon, knew of his dedication to them, and reciprocated that dedication, but few knew of his broad power. Cannon was described by many as one of the leading parliamentarians of our nation’s history, writing in-depth analysis of proper procedure and using his deft knowledge of it to manipulate the process of debate in his district’s favor, literally writing his own rules.(9) This knowledge of procedure saw his career skyrocket, landing him a seat as the chairman of the powerful Appropriations Committee in the first place, and lead to him being the financier of history.

Cannon most certainly had two personas. He was the dirt farmer, the everyman, the down-home dixie gentleman who handed out silver dollars to children as he walked up Broadway, but he was also cunning, manipulative, and the leading authority on Congressional procedure.(10) He financed a revolution in intelligence, a revolution that within the absence of which would have forever changed the world we currently live in. The creation of the CIA was an integral part of the latter half of the 20th century with the advent of the Cold War, and without Cannon, the U.S. very well may have lagged behind the KGB in intelligence capabilities, which could have drastically changed the shape of global politics. This is perhaps why his death was felt so profoundly throughout the nation, from Pennsylvania(11) to Maryland(12), and even Texas(13), President Johnson himself, along with former president Truman and 10,000 others visited our town for his funeral, walked our streets.(14) The fact that our very own Clarence Cannon, the man whose name is on our elementary school, whose home many of us drive past each day, left such a mark on the world as we know it is something Elsberry can truly be proud of.

1 Fenno, Richard. “Oral Histories and Interviews: Fenno-Clarence Cannon-1964.” The Center for Legislative Archives, The National Archives, 14 Dec. 1993,

2 Washington (AP) “Heart Attack Fatal to the ‘Dean’” The Abilene Reporter - News 12 May, 1964: Page 1

3 Mathias, Charles M. “A Tribute to the Integrity of Clarence Cannon of Missouri.” The News, Maryland 18 May, 1964: Page 12

4 Washington (UP) “Almost Halted Atom Bomb Development” The Mexia Daily News 21 November 1947: Page 4

5 Warner, Michael. “Salvage and Liquidation.” CIA Library, 15 Apr. 2007,

6 Warner, John S. “Program and Budget.” CIA Library, 12 Feb. 2018.

7 Warner, John S. “Program and Budget.” CIA Library, 12 Feb. 2018.

8 Stark, Lloyd C. “To All the Voters of the Ninth Congressional District of Missouri.” Gasconade County Republican, Missouri 2 November, 1944: Page 6

9 Washington (AP) “Heart Attack Fatal to the ‘Dean’” The Abilene Reporter - News 12 May, 1964: Page 19

10 Hartley, Michael. Personal Interview. Harmon Kreuger, 28 December, 2017

11 Elsberry, MO (AP) “Cannon’s Funeral in Little Missouri Town” The Kane Republican, Pennsylvania 14 May, 1964: Page 1

12 Mathias, Charles M. “A Tribute to the Integrity of Clarence Cannon of Missouri.” The News, Maryland 18 May, 1964: Page 12

13 Washington (AP) “Heart Attack Fatal to the ‘Dean’” The Abilene Reporter - News 12 May, 1964: Page 1

14 Elsberry, MO (AP) “Cannon’s Funeral in Little Missouri Town” The Kane Republican, Pennsylvania 14 May, 1964: Page 1

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