Project SHAMROCK
Encyclopedia
Project SHAMROCK, considered to be the sister project for Project MINARET
, was an espionage
exercise that involved the accumulation of all telegraphic data entering into or exiting from the United States
. The Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) and its successor NSA
were given direct access to daily microfilm copies of all incoming, outgoing, and transiting telegraphs via the Western Union
and its associates RCA
and ITT
. NSA did the operational interception, and, if information that would be of interest to other intelligence agencies was found, the material was passed to them. "Intercepted messages were disseminated to the FBI
, CIA
, Secret Service
, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
(BNDD), and the Department of Defense
." No court authorized the operation and there were no warrants.
At the height of Project SHAMROCK, 150,000 messages a month were printed and analyzed by NSA personnel. In May 1975 however, Congressional critics began to investigate and expose the program. As a result, NSA director Lew Allen
terminated it, on his own authority rather than that of other intelligence agencies.
The testimony of both the representatives from the cable companies and of director Allen at the hearings prompted Senate Intelligence Committee
chairman Sen. Frank Church
to conclude that Project SHAMROCK was “probably the largest government interception program affecting Americans ever undertaken."
One result of these investigations was the 1978 creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which limited the powers of the NSA and put in place a process of warrants and judicial review. Another internal safeguard, was U.S. Signal Intelligence Directive 18, an internal NSA and intelligence community set of procedures, originally issued in 1980. and updated in 1993
USSID 18 was the general guideline for handling signal intelligence SIGINT
inadvertently collected on US citizens, without a warrant, prior to the George W. Bush
Administration. Interpretations of FISA and the principles of USSID 18, by the Bush administration assume the Executive Branch has unitary authority
for warrantless surveillance, which is under Congressional investigation as an apparent violation of the intent of FISA.
Project MINARET
Project MINARET was a sister project to Project SHAMROCK operated by the NSA, which, after intercepting electronic communications that contained the names of predesignated US citizens, passed them to other government law enforcement and intelligence organizations...
, was an espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
exercise that involved the accumulation of all telegraphic data entering into or exiting from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA) and its successor NSA
National Security Agency
The National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the collection and analysis of foreign communications and foreign signals intelligence, as well as protecting U.S...
were given direct access to daily microfilm copies of all incoming, outgoing, and transiting telegraphs via the Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...
and its associates RCA
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
and ITT
ITT Corporation
ITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
. NSA did the operational interception, and, if information that would be of interest to other intelligence agencies was found, the material was passed to them. "Intercepted messages were disseminated to the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
, Secret Service
Secret Service
Secret Service may refer to:* Secret service, umbrella term for various kinds of police or intelligence organizationsAny of the following specific organizations:* Australian Secret Intelligence Service, intelligence agency...
, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs
The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs was a predecessor agency of the Drug Enforcement Administration . It was formed as a subsidiary of the United States Department of Justice in 1968, combining the Bureau of Narcotics and Bureau of Drug Abuse Control The Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous...
(BNDD), and the Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
." No court authorized the operation and there were no warrants.
At the height of Project SHAMROCK, 150,000 messages a month were printed and analyzed by NSA personnel. In May 1975 however, Congressional critics began to investigate and expose the program. As a result, NSA director Lew Allen
Lew Allen
Lew Allen, Jr. was a United States Air Force four-star General who served as the tenth Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force...
terminated it, on his own authority rather than that of other intelligence agencies.
The testimony of both the representatives from the cable companies and of director Allen at the hearings prompted Senate Intelligence Committee
United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
The United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is dedicated to overseeing the United States Intelligence Community—the agencies and bureaus of the federal government of the United States who provide information and analysis for leaders of the executive and legislative branches. The...
chairman Sen. Frank Church
Frank Church
Frank Forrester Church III was an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Idaho from 1957 to 1981....
to conclude that Project SHAMROCK was “probably the largest government interception program affecting Americans ever undertaken."
One result of these investigations was the 1978 creation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which limited the powers of the NSA and put in place a process of warrants and judicial review. Another internal safeguard, was U.S. Signal Intelligence Directive 18, an internal NSA and intelligence community set of procedures, originally issued in 1980. and updated in 1993
USSID 18 was the general guideline for handling signal intelligence SIGINT
SIGINT
Signals intelligence is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether between people , whether involving electronic signals not directly used in communication , or combinations of the two...
inadvertently collected on US citizens, without a warrant, prior to the George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
Administration. Interpretations of FISA and the principles of USSID 18, by the Bush administration assume the Executive Branch has unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
for warrantless surveillance, which is under Congressional investigation as an apparent violation of the intent of FISA.
External links
- Recollections from the Church Committee's Investigation of NSA: Unlucky SHAMROCK, CIA Center for the Study of Intelligence
- Unlucky SHAMROCK: The View From the Other Side, James G. Hudec, August 2000
- ECHELON: America's Secret Global Surveillance Network
- The NSA's Global Spying Network | by Patrick S. Poole
- The National Security Agency: The Secret Unveiled
- Development of Surveillance Technology & Risk of Abuse of Economic Information | PDF
- Schneier on Security: Project Shamrock
- House report on Project Minaret and Project Shamrock