After the withdrawal from the Vietnam War and the subsequent Watergate scandal, the American people's confidence in their own government declined. suddenly collapsed. In December 1974, the New York Times accused the CIA of spying on Americans at home. Following this accusation, congressional offices began receiving thousands of letters from concerned citizens expressing concerns that events such as the Watergate scandal might be just a prelude to future contrary acts. to democracy and violating their rights. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Believing that U.S. intelligence agencies were responsible for the unrest across the country, Senator John Pastore proposed that all agencies US intelligence agencies are under investigation for cases of intelligence abuse. With overwhelming support from the rest of the senators, an investigation was 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. To investigate the activities of the intelligence agencies, the Senate had established an investigative committee known officially as the Special Committee to Investigate Intelligence Activities. This panel is more commonly known as the Church Committee, named after its chairman, Senator Frank Church. Eleven committee members were placed on the committee because of the notion of the possibility of domestic espionage. Church himself became involved because of his interest in the New York Times' accusations regarding CIA affairs abroad. Numerous cases of intelligence abuse began to surface after the committee's investigation. According to the committee's reports, the FBI illegally maintained data banks on American citizens, including government officials. However, it became clear that these occasional discoveries of intelligence "irregularities" were not enough to garner the support of the majority of Congress. This lack of support has inadvertently halted any effort to reform the intelligence communities. In addition to the lack of support, the Church Committee was essentially blocked in its investigations, with requests for documents repeatedly delayed or even refused outright. At the same time, the entire Congress expected the Church Committee to investigate twenty-five years of alleged intelligence abuses. During the summer of 1975, the Church Committee had discovered documents that would finally allow them to present an important case to Congress. Documents analyzed by the Church Committee revealed that a spy plan, hatched by White House aide Tom Huston, was to be carried out before Nixon resigned. The plan called for intelligence agencies to spy on anti-war protesters enough that they would be considered radical and then detained. The document included plans to commit domestic burglaries, use illegal electronic surveillance methods, and even examine the mail of these anti-war protesters. It was revealed during the Congressional hearing regarding the Huston Plan that these documents were signed by Director of Central Intelligence Richard Helms and FBI Director John Hoover, confirming that certain intelligence agencies intended to misuse intelligence resources and undermine the rights of citizens. The revelation of the Huston plan was the first in a long series of cases in which agencies..