Operation CHAOS, also known as MHCHAOS, was a covert espionage project ran by the Central
Intelligence Agency. It begain under President Lyndon Johnson in 1967 and was further expanded by
President Richard Nixon.
The project's primary directive was to monitor and eradicate U.S. citizens and groups suspected
of foreign influence, particularly those that spread anti-war and civil rights sentiments. This was
a similar yet separate program to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
COINTELPRO
.
From its inception, agents of CHAOS would conduct illegal surveillance and intelligence
gathering of domestic citizens on a wide scale through breaches of privacy, group infiltration via
informants, and electronic wiretapping.
The program came to an end amid the Watergate Scandal in 1973, but gained public exposure through a
1974 The New York Times article written by Seymour Hersh. Subsequently, the Rockefeller
Commission launched an investigation into the level of surveillance committed by operation CHAOS.
In 1967, the CIA launched Operation CHAOS at the behest of President Lyndon Johnson in response to
growing anti-Vietnam War sentiment and the fear of communist propaganda from China and Russia on
U.S. citizens.
In 1968, CHAOS aimed to amass files on 300,000 individuals through the surveillance of
mail, travel records, and wiretaps. Agents in Sweden intercepted U.S. deserters and draft-dodgers
seeking to flee the war. The CIA began coordinating with the FBI's COINTELPRO program to monitor
perceived domestic threats such as anti-war activists and Black Power movements under the auspice
of national security.
In 1969, the operation intensified under the presidency of Richard Nixon. Surveillance and
intelligence gathering widened to include women's liberation movements, domestic Jewish groups, and
left-wing sympathisers such as Jane Fonda and Abbie Hoffman. The operations' international
activities increased, with U.S. citizens abroad also coming under CIA surveillance. Around this
time, the White House received approximately 1,000 intelligence reports each month.
It was in 1970 that CHAOS hit its peak, with dossiers of over 10,000 U.S. citizens
compiled from gathered intel that was shared with the FBI and NSA. On July 23, Nixon approved the
controversial Huston Plan, a series of security operations that would have allowed the U.S.
government to commit electronic surveillance, mail interception and burglary of perceived domestic
threats. The plan was revoked on July 28, though a number of its proposals were implemented.
In 1971, the operation took a downward turn due to growing civil unrest. The exposure of sensitive
documents after the Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI broke into an FBI field office puts
CHAOS indirectly under pressure, with internal reviews following soon after.
In 1972, the Watergate Scandal took place, revealing that Nixon was using intelligence agencies to
spy on domestic groups. CIA Director Richard Helms ordered the destruction of classified CIA
documents to limit further exposure. Amidst the controversies, CHAOS begins phasing out
while still illegally collecting information.
On March 15, 1974, CHAOS was officially dissolved. The CIA stated that their findings
proved that there was no evidence of foreign influence on domestic dissent. In total, the operation
amassed a computer index of around 300,000 citizens and files on 7,200 U.S. citizens.
Later that year, on December 22, The New York Times published an article written by Seymour
Hersh, entitled "Huge CIA Operation Reported in US Against Antiwar Forces, Other Dissidents in
Nixon Years." which kicked off a series of congressional investigations.
In 1975, both the Church Committee and Rockefeller Commission conducted investigations into
CHAOS. Their final report condemned the CIA for violating constitutional rights and
recommended reforms.
In their attempt to quash any domestic dissent to U.S. values, the CIA conducted a number of projects and operations beneath or adjacent to Operation CHAOS.
Beginning in 1952, HTLINGUAL, originally named SRPOINTER/SGPOINTER, was a secret CIA mail
interception program.
The program would gather foreign intelligence by intercepting mail addressed to or from the Soviet
Union, China, and other communist countries. Intercepted mail would be analysed to identify
defections, espionage or subversive activities.
HTLINGUAL was a Directorate of Operations project that involved opening incoming and outgoing mail destined to and from the Soviet union, [redacted], and South America. In OS this project was known as SRPOINTER with subprojects identified as WESTPOINTER, INDIAN, BANJO, and SETTER. OS conducted the actual opening and monitoring of mail with the acquired information referred to the Directorate of Operations.
- [Redacted] Chief, Information Management Branch Office of Personnel Security
Request No. CIA-16 from JFK Board,
1997
Possibly beginning in 1967, Project MERRIMAC concentrated its efforts domestically, striving to
gather intelligence on anti-war movements located within Washington, D.C. specifically.
In order to protect integral CIA facilities and personnel across the city, the program planted
spies within dissident groups, such as anti-war movements, in the metropolitan area to gather
intelligence on their activities, finances and infrastructure. Information gathered would be shared
with CHAOS to assist in their goal of assessing foreign influence on domestic dissent.
Project MERRIMACK (1967 to 1973) involved the infiltration by CIA agents of Washington-based peace groups and Black activist groups. The stated purpose of the program was to obtain early warning of demonstrations and other physical threats to the CIA. However, the collection requirements were broadened to include general information about the leadership, funding, activities, and policies of the targeted groups.
- Church Committee
Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans: Book II,
1976
Beginning in 1967, Project RESISTANCE worked alongside its twin program, MERRIMAC to
prevent threats to CIA facilities and personnel across the U.S.
The project focused on dissent rising from student radical groups, utilising college staff, campus
security and police department officials as informants to monitor their activities. Information
gathered would be shared with CHAOS to assist in their goal of assessing foreign
influence on domestic dissent.
Project RESISTANCE (1967 to 1973) was a broad effort to obtain general background information about radical groups across the country, particularly on campuses. The CIA justified this program as a means of predicting violence which might threaten CIA installations, recruiters, or contractors, and gathering information with which to evaluate applicants for CIA employment. Much of the reporting by CIA field offices to headquarters was from open sources such as newspapers. But additional information was obtained from cooperating police departments, campus officials, and other local authorities, some of whom in turn were using collection techniques such as informants.
- Church Committee
Intelligence Activities and the Rights of Americans: Book II,
1976
"Project 1" was a program that began conception in February, 1968 and was originally entitled "An
Effort ... in Acquiring Assets in the 'Peace' and 'Black Power' Movements in the United States."
CIA agents would be placed within U.S. radical organisations with the intent of reporting on
communications, contacts, travel, and activities of domestic individuals and groups connected to
foreign influences.
CIA Director Helms rejected the proposal due to the surveillance of domestic citizens falling
beyond the jurisdiction of the CIA:
"The history of Project 1 clearly reflected the CIA's awareness that statutory limitations applied to the use of agents on the domestic dissident scene. “Penetration” of dissident groups in the United States to gain information on their domestic activities was prohibited."
- The Rockefeller Commission
Report to the President by the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States,
1975
A direct continuation of Project 1, "Project 2" began in late 1969, focusing on training CIA agents
to infiltrate foreign intelligence targets.
CIA agents would be placed within U.S. radical organisations, such as anti-war movements, to
gain experience domestically in dissident activities before being deployed internationally into
communist networks. Any information gained on domestic groups would be purely incidental.
No Project 2 agent was to be directed to acquire information concerning domestic dissident activities. Only if such information was acquired incidentally by the agents during the domestic “coloration” process would it be passed to Operation CIIAOS for forwarding to the FBI.
- The Rockefeller Commission
Report to the President by the Commission on CIA Activities Within the United States,
1975
