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Analysis: Hayden Scrutinized on Surveillance

Council on Foreign Relations

Updated: May 18, 2005
Prepared by: Robert McMahon

The nominee to lead the embattled Central Intelligence Agency, Gen. Michael V. Hayden (CIA), faced tough questions Thursday from Senate Democrats and some Republicans miffed about being left in the dark on warrantless surveillance conducted under his watch (Bloomberg). Hayden, former head of the National Security Agency (NSA), told the Senate Intelligence Committee the move to intercept phone calls between foreign sources and suspected U.S. accomplices was legal and necessary (AP). In unclassified remarks before the session went behind closed doors, Hayden said as CIA director, he would fight the "long war" on the terrorists "in a way consistent with the core values of our nation."

Hayden, who directed the NSA from 1999 until last year, declined to publicly take on questions about a USA Today report pointing to extensive data mining by the NSA, which allegedly culled phone records from tens of millions of Americans. President George W. Bush says there is no government eavesdropping on domestic phone calls (AP) but has not directly addressed the report about compiling phone records of American citizens. Hayden was expected to discuss the issue with the panel in a closed meeting.

At the NSA, Hayden helped to set up a secret anti-terror program that included listening in on phone calls of suspected terrorist accomplices in the United States without warrants from the court set up under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Hayden said earlier this year "one end of any call targeted under this program is always outside the United States." Newsweek says Bush is generally believed to have expanded secret electronic surveillance after 9/11 as part of an all-out war on terrorism.

Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.

Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.