President Richard M. Nixon declared a “War on Drugs” upon his election in 1969 in response to growing public concern regarding drug use in the United States. As part of this movement, the president had the goal of reorganizing the system of agencies responsible for the enforcement of drug laws. The Office of National Narcotics Intelligence was established by Executive Order Number 11676 in July 1972, ostensibly with the intent of thwarting what was thought to be a growing problem of illegal drug use in the United States.

Headed by William C. Sullivan, the Office of National Narcotics Intelligence was dissolved in 1973 and subsequently merged with the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement and other similar agencies to form the Drug Enforcement Administration. Due to ...