Pike Committee
 Pike Committee    | |
|---|---|
| Membership | • Otis G. Pike • Lucien Nedzi • Ron Dellums • A. Searle Field • Aaron Donner • Jack Boos • Robert Brauer • Robert Giaimo • James P. Johnson • Robert McClory • [[..|...]] |
History
The Pike Committee is the common name for the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence during the period when it was chaired by Democratic Representative Otis G. Pike of New York. The Select Committee had originally been established in February 1975 under the chairmanship of Congressman Lucien Nedzi of Michigan. Following Nedzi's resignation in June, the committee was reconstituted with Pike as chair, in July 1975, with its mandate expiring January 31, 1976. Under Pike's chairmanship, the committee investigated illegal activities by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the National Security Agency (NSA).
The final report of the Pike Committee was never officially published, due to Congressional opposition. However, unauthorized versions of the (draft) final report were leaked to the press. CBS News reporter Daniel Schorr was called to testify before Congress, but refused to divulge his source. Major portions of the report were published by The Village Voice[1], and a full copy of the draft was published in England.
The Pike Committee established important protocols for the declassification of intelligence documents, which would continue to evolve. It also created a precedent for the oversight of the Executive Branch and its agencies, leading to the creation of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, which now has the autonomy to declassify any of the information it receives. The Pike Committee constituted an extremely significant step in the tradition of government transparency.
Weblinks
Audio version of the Pike Committee
Related Quotation
| Page | Quote | Author | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otis G. Pike | “Pike will pay for this, you wait and see — we’ll destroy him for this.” | Otis G. Pike Mitchell Rogovin | 1976 |
Known members
3 of the 11 of the members already have pages here:
| Member | Description |
|---|---|
| Ron Dellums | One of the CIA's main critics on the important Pike Committee |
| Lucien Nedzi | Chaired the House Select Committee on Intelligence. |
| Otis G. Pike | The first congressman to battle the NSA |
