WP OP ED: Spy Controversy, Redux

By Ruth Marcus

Monday, January 2, 2006; Page A13

"We have a particular obligation to examine the NSA, in light of its tremendous potential for abuse. . . . The interception of international communications signals sent through the air is the job of NSA; and, thanks to modern technological developments, it does its job very well. The danger lies in the ability of the NSA to turn its awesome technology against domestic communications."

If those words sound applicable to the controversy over warrantless eavesdropping by the National Security Agency, consider this: They were spoken 30 years ago, on Oct. 29, 1975, as Sen. Frank Church (D-Idaho), opened a hearing that featured the first-ever public testimony by an official of the super-secret NSA.