Honors Theses
Date of Award
2007
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Journalism
First Advisor
Curtis Wilkie
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The United States intelligence community is an integral part of the security of our' nation. It has been continually growing and redesigning itself for the past 230 years to suit the needs of the people and of the nation. Inhibiting the American intelligence system, however, is the struggle for the U.S. to find a balance between the rights of the people and the security of the nation. This struggle has been at the basis of change in almost every instance of intelligence redesign. It is these changes that have become the study of this thesis. Major trends found in the redesign of the U.S. intelligence system can be categorized in three ways. First, early American intelligence history shows the common mindset that intelligence was needed only in times of war. Were intelligence used in peace time, it would be a breach of the people’s rights to privacy as well as a breach of trust among nations. Second, as the nation evolved and became embroiled in more and greater conflicts, the people realized that it was necessary to not only have intelligence during wars, but also, in order for war time intelligence to be most effective, it had to remain flmctioning during peace time. It was essential, however, that these new, full time intelligence units severely limit their capabilities and functions during peace time. Finally, it has only been in the last sixty years that intelligence units have existed and functioned both during times of war and of peace. Vitally important to the study of these changes in attitude towards intelligence are the three common threads which are found throughout history. These threads which bind the history of intelligence redesign include: 1) Change to the intelligence community V comes on the heels of intelligence failures; 2) Intelligence failures occur because of the lack of cohesion in the intelligence community; 3) The lack of cohesion stems from the inherent American struggle to find a balance between rights and security.
Recommended Citation
Morrison, Susan Rebecca, "Freedom through Education: The Sunflower County Freedom Project" (2007). Honors Theses. 2075.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2075
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