Washington ( CNN ) -- Since 1974 , U.S. presidents have had a tool to use Central Intelligence Agency operatives clandestinely -- but with limits . The term `` presidential finding '' is back in the headlines this week because of the situation in Libya . A former counterterrorism official with knowledge of U.S.-Libya policy said there is a presidential finding authorizing the CIA to conduct operations in support of U.S. policy in Libya , including assessing the opposition and determining their needs . Here 's a deeper look at prescribed covert activities : . What is a presidential finding ? A finding is a subset of a presidential directive , focused on the Central Intelligence Agency . According to a Congressional Research Services study in 2007 , presidential directives have been around since the early days of the federal government . `` Presidents , exercising magisterial or executive power not unlike that of a monarch , from time to time have issued directives establishing new policy , decreeing the commencement or cessation of some action or ordaining that notice be given to some declaration , '' the study said . Over the years , there have been various directives created , known by specific names and which have a set purpose . The notion of a presidential finding was established in 1974 during the height of a congressional investigation into allegations the CIA was illegally spying on Americans and was involved in covert programs to assassinate foreign leaders . In an effort to reign in the executive branch and the CIA , Congress passed the the Hughes-Ryan amendment to the 1974 Foreign Assistance Act . The law prohibits the expenditure of appropriated funds by or on behalf of the CIA for intelligence activities `` unless and until the President finds that each such operation is important to the national security of the United States and reports , in a timely fashion , a description and scope of such operation to the appropriate committees of Congress . '' How is covert activity legally defined ? U.S. law describes covert activity as any secret action taken by the United States in another country to influence that nation 's political , economic or military situation . The involvement of the U.S. is not intended to be apparent or publicly acknowledged . The statute does not include traditional intelligence-gathering overseas ; that is , seeking information within a country and analyzing it for policymakers . How specific are presidential findings ? A former senior intelligence official said presidential findings are written in a way that is `` general enough to allow flexibility , but specific enough to know legally what you can do . '' Intelligence officers engaged in the secret task will know that what they are doing has been authorized by the White House and determined to be legal . A U.S. official with knowledge of findings said they create a framework for broader actions taken in the future -- actions that would require permission from the White House before being done . A former counterterrorism official said the specific activities of CIA officers would be determined by conditions on the ground and would need further approval from the president . Who determines what the covert activities will be ? The U.S. official said it is a `` collective decision . '' The administration determines what the overall policy is and what the goals are , and then turns to the intelligence community for suggestions on how to carry it out . As the official put it , `` You need to look at all instruments of national power '' to carry through a policy . The former senior intelligence official said covert action is seeking to change such things as the political future of a country , the attitudes of the populace , and/or the economic conditions within a nation . The fact there is a presidential finding indicates there is a `` much greater involvement '' by the CIA in Libya , said the official . For instance , in the case of the rebels , the former official suggested some of the things the CIA operatives are doing on the ground are `` finding out who they ( the rebels ) are , what they are doing and what they need '' to be successful . The official went on to say the officers `` might be advising on how to target the adversary , how to use the weapons they have , reconnaissance and counter surveillance . '' Is covert action always secret ? Whenever the CIA is engaged in secret action , the U.S. wants plausible deniability of the role it may have played -- but as the former senior intelligence official indicated , that is n't always the case . For instance , when the CIA helped launch the occupation of Afghanistan following the September 11 , 2001 , terrorist attacks on the United States , CIA operatives were in the country coordinating activities before there were any U.S. boots on the ground . `` Things were blowing up , '' said the official , making it difficult to deny the agency 's involvement . The same could be said of the CIA 's use of unmanned aircraft to fire missiles at suspected terrorists in the tribal areas of Pakistan . Although the CIA and the U.S. government never acknowledge the attacks , it is one of the worst-kept secrets . The drones can be seen and heard , and the damage done is publicly evident . But the U.S. government continues to be mum on the attacks because of Pakistani outrage to them . The former intelligence official angrily said the disclosure of the Libyan covert action `` puts people 's lives at risk . '' `` You ca n't do covert action without the U.S. showing its hand , '' said the official , adding that will have a detrimental impact on the United States ' ability to carry out its foreign policy objectives .
A ` ` ' finding '' covers certain covert activities . The law is primarily focused on the activities of the accused . Findings can be both general and specific .