Abuse of Power: How Cold War Surveillance and Secrecy Policy Shaped the Response to 9/11

Theoharis (Chasing Spies), emeritus professor of history at Marquette University, surveys a pattern of FBI abuse of power stretching back to WWII in this extensively documented and passionately argued case for a national debate over the issue of domestic intelligence gathering. Drawing on decades of research into FBI records, often obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the author argues that the notion that FBI culture changed from "reactive" to "proactive" law enforcement after 9/11 is a myth. In fact, the shift began as early as 1936, and the cold war enshrined its intelligence role. Operating in secrecy and relying heavily on wiretapping, the FBI not only strayed into illegal activities (e.g., political surveillance) but also "failed to uncover the Soviet Union's most successful espionage operations." Exploring this history of sanctioned abuse of power and limited success, Theoharis warns that the post-9/11 expansion of the FBI's "political-surveillance authority" should be viewed with skepticism. (May)