The Church Committee examined whether intelligence activities threaten the rights of American citizens. The Committee found that too many people were spied upon by too many Government agencies and too much information had been collected. The Government often undertook secret surveillance of citizens on the basis of their political beliefs, even when those beliefs posed no threat of violence or illegal acts on behalf of a hostile foreign power. The Government, operating primarily through secret informants, but also using other intrusive techniques such as wiretaps, microphone "bugs," surreptitious mail opening, and break-ins, swept in vast amounts of information about the personal lives, views, and associations of American citizens. This book details how governmental officials violated or ignored the law over long periods of time and advocated and defended their right to break the law.