What legislation created the National Security Council and CIA?

The National Security Act, enacted in 1947, established significant government structures that shaped U.S. foreign policy and national security during the Cold War era. This legislation created both the National Security Council (NSC) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), reflecting a strategic response to the global political environment following World War II.

The establishment of the NSC aimed to advise the president on national security and foreign affairs while coordinating defense policies among various government agencies. The creation of the CIA was intended to enhance intelligence capabilities and to engage in covert operations to protect U.S. interests abroad.

By founding these institutions, the National Security Act laid the groundwork for a robust framework to manage national security challenges and to respond to potential threats, particularly in the context of the rising tension between the United States and the Soviet Union. This Act represented a shift in U.S. policy towards a more proactive and coordinated approach to international relations and intelligence-gathering.

In contrast, other options such as the McCarthy Act primarily addressed internal security issues relating to communism, the Marshall Plan was focused on European recovery post-WWII, and the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution dealt with escalating military involvement in Vietnam. None of these directly contributed to the founding of the NSC or