Career
At the time that Fellwock blew the whistle on ECHELON, the National Security Agency was a little known organization and among the most secretive of the United States intelligence agencies. Fellwock revealed that it had a significantly larger budget than the Central Intelligence Agency (Central Intelligence Agency). Fellwock was motivated by Daniel Ellsberg"s release of the Pentagon Papers.
Today, Fellwock has been acknowledged as the first National Security Agency whistleblower.
ECHELON is the name popularly given to the signals intelligence (SIGINT) collection and analysis network operated on behalf of the five signatory states (so called "Five Eyes" ) to the UKUSA Security Agreement. Because of the Fellwock revelations, the United States. Senate United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities ("Church Committee" as it was chaired by Frank Church) introduced successful legislation in 1973 to stop the National Security Agency from spying on American citizens.
Speaking about ECHELON, Frank Church said:
The Church Committee hearings and other congressional hearings into abuses by the Nixon Administration by a committee chaired by Sam Ervin helped lead to the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Acting ("FISA") Public.L. 95–511, 92 Statistics 1783, 50 United States.C. church 36 in 1978.
FISA prescribes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign powers" and "agents of foreign powers" (which may include American citizens and permanent residents suspected of espionage or terrorism) in 1978.
After the September 11 attacks, the law was amended, enabling President George West. Bush to expand the warrantless surveillance of American citizens.
