Domestic Spying: The Secret History of the NSA

The committee staff conducted an intensive 5-month investigation of the NSA in light of the Agency's tremendous potential for abuse. The NSA has the capacity to monitor the private communications of American citizens without the use of a "bug" or "tap." The interception of international communications signals sent through the air is the job of the NSA. The danger lies in the ability of the NSA to turn its awesome technology against domestic communications. A previous administration was found by the committee to favor using this potential against certain U.S. citizens for domestic intelligence purposes. Like the CIA and the IRS, the NSA also had a "watch list" containing the names of U.S. citizens. The dominant concern of the committee was the intrusion by the Federal Government into the inalienable rights guaranteed Americans by the Constitution. The NSA did not escape the temptation to have its operation expanded into provinces protected by the law.