NO STASI IN AMERICA

Some of the Church Committee Report Recommendations

1. No more using intelligence agencies to maintain the existing social and political order - disrupting lawful political activities and trying to prevent or inhibit the expression of ideas by people exercising First Amendment rights.

2.  The FBI should be focusing on criminal conduct not association and political rhetoric.

3.  We need restrictions on how the FBI uses informants.

4.  We need to spell out the circumstances in which the FBI can collect information on Americans.  We have to make sure they purge information collected when an investigation ends.

5.  We need to stop the FBI from using investigations for the purpose of harassment, stop them from using physical surveillance for intimidation.

6.  We need to limit preliminary investigations in scope, duration and the investigative techniques which they are allowed to use to stop abuse of authority.

7.   Preventive intelligence investigations should be limited to prohibited to prohibited activity that will soon occur. Preliminary preventive intelligence investigations should continue no more than 30 days.  Where information and corroboration should they should exist longer they might extend to 60 days but no longer than that.

8.  Full investigations need to be reserved for cases in which a substantial indication of terrorism or hostile foreign intelligence activity would happen in the near future.  Even in those cases there should be a time limit of one year unless the Attorney General or his designee has information that they should go on longer than that.

9. There needs to be guidelines for the Joint Terrorism Task Force that accomplish the same functions of Guidelines for the FBI.

10.  In no case should advocacy of political ideas result in surveillance.  Americans should not be targeted for surveillance unless there is probable cause they will violate the law.

11.  Physical surveillance should be reserved for criminal investigations or full preventive intelligence investigations.

12. Americans need a way to redress grievances when federal intelligence agencies engage in improper activity.

13. The most intrusive techniques used by the FBI should require a judicial warrant.

14. We need to have a clear definition of the word - subversive.

15. Rein in excessive executive power which is a threat to our democratic way of life.  Tell Congress to create statutes that would be the exclusive legal authority for our intelligence agencies rather than executive directives.