Church Committee exposes COINTELPRO, SHAMROCK, and MINARET, revealing NSA capacity for total tyranny

The Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, led by Sen. Frank Church, published findings in 1975 exposing decades of illegal domestic surveillance. Project SHAMROCK copied 150,000 telegrams per month; Project MINARET monitored civil rights leaders, war protesters, and sitting senators including Church himself. Church warned that the NSA could, if turned on Americans, 'enable a dictator to impose total tyranny.'