USA: Schlesinger orders CIA Family Jewels report
On May 9, 1973, CIA Director James R. Schlesinger directed officials to disclose activities potentially exceeding the agency's legal mandate. This led to a comprehensive 693-page compilation known as the Family Jewels, exposing operations like surveillance and MKUltra.
Background
Background
In the context of the Watergate scandal, James R. Schlesinger, Director of the CIA, issued a directive on May 9, 1973. He called on all CIA employees to report any action that might be construed as a violation of the agency's statutory charter. This followed reports of CIA involvement in break-ins with veterans such as E. Howard Hunt and James McCord.
The Report
The CIA's Office of the Inspector General compiled a 693-page document detailing sensitive operations from 1959 to 1973. It covered illegal activities including surveillance of journalists, Operation CHAOS, MKUltra experiments, and mail opening. William Colby, Schlesinger's successor, referred to it as the skeletons in the CIA's closet.
Revelations and Impact
The report was partially leaked by Seymour Hersh in the New York Times in 1974 and fully declassified in 2007. It documented domestic surveillance of dissidents, mail opening, and assassination plots, leading to investigations such as the Rockefeller Commission and the Church Committee. This changed public perception of the US intelligence services and led to stricter oversight.