After the withdrawal from the Vietnam War and the resulting Watergate scandal, the American people's trust in their government suddenly collapsed. In December 1974, the New York Times accused the CIA of spying on Americans at home. Following the indictment, congressional offices began receiving thousands of letters from concerned citizens expressing their concerns about how events like the Watergate scandal may only be a prelude to future acts that oppose democracy and violate their rights . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Believing that U.S. intelligence agencies were responsible for the unrest across the country, Senator John Pastore proposed that all U.S. intelligence agencies be investigated for cases of intelligence abuse. With overwhelming support from the rest of the senators, an investigation was subsequently conducted on January 21, 1975. The White House followed suit and also launched its own investigation under the direct supervision of President Gerald R. Ford. in the activities of intelligence agencies, the Senate had created an investigative committee known formally as the Special Select Committee to investigate intelligence activities. This committee is more commonly known as the Church Committee, after its chairman, Senator Frank Church. Eleven members of the committee were brought into the committee because of the idea of ​​the possibility of domestic espionage. Church himself became involved because of his interest in the New York Times' allegations about CIA affairs abroad. Many cases of intelligence abuse began to emerge following the committee's investigations. According to the commission's reports, the FBI illegally maintained databases on U.S. citizens, including government officials. However, it became apparent that these occasional findings of intelligence “improprieties” were not enough to gain majority support in Congress. This lack of support had inadvertently blocked any reform efforts in the intelligence communities. In addition to the lack of support, the Church Committee was substantially hampered in its investigation as the request for documents was repeatedly delayed or rejected entirely. At the same time, the entire Congress expected the Church Committee to investigate twenty-five years of alleged intelligence abuses. By the summer of 1975, the Church Committee had discovered documents that would allow them to finally present a significant case to the public. Congress. Documents analyzed by the Church Committee revealed that a spy plan, developed by White House aide Tom Huston, was to be implemented before Nixon's resignation. The plan called for intelligence agencies to spy on anti-war protesters enough that they would be deemed radicals and subsequently detained. Included in the document were plans to commit burglaries of homes, use illegal methods of electronic surveillance, and even examine the mail of these anti-war protesters. During the Congressional hearing regarding the Huston Plan it was revealed that these documents had been signed by the Director of Central Intelligence, Richard Helms, and the Director of the FBI, John Hoover, confirming that some intelligence agencies had the intent to abuse of intelligence resources and to violate the rights of citizens. The discovery of the Huston Plan was the first of many instances in which intelligence agencies had committed intelligence abuses. The committee's investigations were..