Word: fbi
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Although the FBI contends that their actions fell within the law, there is a strong possibility that they illegally used wiretaps, infiltration, and other such techniques without probable cause. But the FBI maintains that they were operating under guidelines which permitted the surveillance of groups suspected of terrorist activity...
However this appears to be nothing more than a meager attempt to justify some very disturbing activities. There was no evidence available at the FBI project's beginning that even hinted at actual terrorist activity, let alone any violation of federal law. Indeed, the investigation proved there was none. Nevertheless, the investigations both continued and expanded...
President Reagan's decision to conduct an inquiry into the FBI's conduct shows there was no tangible purpose or justification for the extensive surveillance. Paranoia about communism, not national security, seems to be the motive behind the FBI's actions. Just last September, the FBI asked libraries to lookout for "diplomats of countries hostile to the U.S., particularly the Soviet Union." Fortunately, most librarians found the request to be a ludicrous and flagrant violation of the right to privacy and flatly refused to cooperate. As the director of the New York Library Association asked, "Does anyone with an accent...
Both investigations, begun and supervised by then-Director of the FBI William H. Webster, smack frighteningly of the McCarthy-era Red Scares. Webster is now the director of the CIA. If he continues to exhibit such paranoia as these two instances show, the CIA could well become an even worse violator of civil liberties and human rights than it has been in the past. Webster may even begin to turn the CIA's covert efforts to home territory, continuing the work the FBI started. Clearly he is a man that must be watched, and it is a sign of hope...
Webster's successor at the FBI, former Federal Judge William S. Sessions, simply inherited these investigations from Webster and cannot be held responsible. Nonetheless, he must be careful not to engage in such intrusive, unconscionable activities. For their part, the American people must be careful not to allow another Hoover to gain the power to restrict their freedoms. The FBI is a public organization designed to protect the American people, not a secretive KGB designed to protect the government...