America's "Big Brother": A Century of U.S. Domestic Surveillance

By

David P. Hadley

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J. Edgar Hoover.

J. Edgar Hoover

Hoover was selected at 24 years old to lead the Radical Division of the Bureau of Investigation. He served the intelligence agency for the rest of his life, including 37 years as director of the FBI.

Fred Hampton, a young and charismatic Black Panther.

Fred Hampton

Fred Hampton, a young and charismatic Black Panther, was shot in bed by the Chicago Police Department. A COINTELPRO informant had infiltrated his organization and may have assisted in the police raid that took Hampton's life.

National Security Agency

The NSA logo features an eagle and a key.

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Edward Snowden

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden

Charles Bonaparte, the attorney general for President Theodore Roosevelt.

Charles Bonaparte

President Theodore Roosevelt had selected Charles Bonaparte, his attorney general, to set up an agency for domestic surveillance, but Congress rejected the idea.

Frank Church chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Frank Church

Frank Church chaired the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, or Church Committee, which scrutinzed domestic surveillance activities and revealed many of the shadier operations of the FBI, CIA, and NSA.

Pinkerton detectives.

Pinkertons

In this 1884 newspaper illustration, Pinkerton detectives accompany strikebreakers to work.

American citizens protest domestic spying.

"Stop Watching US"

American citizens protest domestic spying at an October 2013 rally in Washington, D.C. Photo by Slowking.

This drawing shows anarchist Leon Czolgosz shooting President William McKinley.

McKinley Assassination

This drawing shows anarchist Leon Czolgosz shooting President William McKinley in 1901, prompting some to advocate keeping political dissidents under surveillance.

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer created the Radical Division of the Bureau of Investigation.

A. Mitchell Palmer

Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer created the Radical Division of the Bureau of Investigation in 1919 to root out domestic subversive activity.

The National Security Operations Center of the National Security Administration looked like this in 1985.

NSA '85

The National Security Operations Center of the National Security Administration looked like this in 1985. Around that time, the agency was classifying 100 million reports annually.

William Sullivan.

William Sullivan

Sullivan, a highly decorated veteran of World Wars I and II, helped J. Edgar Hoover launch COINTELPRO.

Protesters hold a sit-in at an entrance to the Pentagon in October 1967.

Protesting the Vietnam War

The CIA infiltrated the antiwar movement in the 1960s. Here protesters hold a sit-in at an entrance to the Pentagon in October 1967.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The CIA infiltrated the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr., might be the only major American political figure spied on by both the CIA and Russia's intelligence agency, the KGB.

Richard Helms and President Richard Nixon.

Richard Helms and Richard Nixon

Richard Helms, director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1966 to 1973, is photographed here with President Richard Nixon. Nixon would fire Helms for refusing to help cover up the Watergate scandal.

NSA agents are urged to both collect data en route to its destination and harvest it wholesale in this powerpoint.

"You Should Use Both"

In this PowerPoint slide leaked to the Washington Post by Snowden, NSA agents are urged to both collect data en route to its destination and harvest it wholesale from providers whose logos are arranged at the top of the slide.

This map shows how much surveillance each country was subjected to, ranging from dark green (least) through yellow to orange and finally, red (most).

"Heat Map"

Recreated from a snapshot of the NSA's own map, this one shows how much surveillance each country was subjected to, ranging from dark green (least) through yellow to orange and finally, red (most).

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Cite this Site

David P. Hadley , "America's "Big Brother": A Century of U.S. Domestic Surveillance" , Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

October, 2013

https://origins.osu.edu/index.php/article/americas-big-brother-century-us-domestic-surveillance.