The Year of Intelligence Begins

This chapter examines the investigations that began following the revelation that the Central Intelligence Agency operated an illegal domestic surveillance system. Three investigations emerged: a blue-ribbon presidential commission chaired by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, a Senate Select Committee chaired by Frank Church (D-ID), and a House Select Committee chaired by Otis Pike (D-NY). The investigations were quickly sidetracked by stories about the CIA’s involvement in assassinations; ultimately, a main area of focus for the Church Committee in particular would be assassinations. The media environment reflected the tremendous controversy over the CIA and the increasingly partisan nature of politics and news coverage, as some commentators were divided between supporting the CIA and criticizing the investigations, whereas others were ambivalent and uncertain about what should be done. Even during this tumultuous period, the press was still willing to cooperate with the CIA when Director of Central Intelligence William Colby requested their cooperation in suppressing a story about the CIA’s efforts to raise a sunken Soviet submarine.