In the midst of the Watergate scandal in 1973, Director of Central Intelligence James Schlesinger asked current and former CIA employees to report any CIA activities that might have violated the CIA’s charter. The resulting compilation, nicknamed the Family Jewels, leaked to the public in December 1974. Although the report focused on the CIA, the leak set in motion a series of broader investigations – the Rockefeller Commission established by the president and the subsequent congressional Church and Pike committees.
The public revelations about covert action operations abroad, allegations of assassination plots, domestic spying and more captured the attention of the world. Together, the investigations and recommendations altered public perceptions of U.S. intelligence writ large, led to major restructuring of both executive and legislative branch oversight of intelligence, and resulted in changes to the way intelligence agencies conducted their operations.
Presented by the Council on Intelligence Issues (CII) and hosted by Holland & Knight and the International Spy Museum, this panel discussion is the first in a series of webinar and in-person sessions that will focus on significant changes that resulted from the leak and the subsequent investigations. Our February 26 webinar will include former Church Committee staffers (David Aaron and Greg Treverton) and two intelligence officers who represented the CIA before the committee (Jack Devine and Jim Taylor). Moderated by historian and former intelligence officer Mark Lowenthal, panelists will discuss their roles and their insights about the investigations and their legacy, including:
- What were some of the most significant operational, policy and legal changes?
- What were the challenges in addressing both real need for change and perceptions of need for change?
- How did U.S. intelligence adapt in its conduct of operations, relations within the executive branch, increased oversight and calls for greater public transparency?
- How, 50 years later, do they assess these events and their impact, whether positive or negative, and lessons learned?
We hope you can join us for this highly informative presentation.
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