M. Baker
# Assistant Director
# Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
#
# Bicentennial of the United States Constitution (1787-1987)


* [NJ] The Star-Ledger, Friday, January 29, 1988
*
* The documents, released Wednesday, showed that the original target of the
* FBI probe was CISPES, but that the investigation broadened to include
* more than 100 other groups that opposed Reagan administration policy in
* Nicaragua and El Salvador.
*
* Despite the long investigation, no criminal charges were ever brought
* against any of the groups or their members.
*
* An FBI statement issued Wednesday said the agency only investigated
* suspected crimes, not political beliefs or constitutionally protected
* freedom of speech.
*
* Oliver Revell, the FBI's executive assistant director, said that the
* FBI did not investigate CISPES because of its political activities,
* but for a "wide range of possible crimes."


% The New York Times, Thursday, February 4, 1988
% "Reagan Backs FBI Over Surveillance"
%
% President Reagan is satisfied that the Federal Bureau of Investigation
% conducted a proper surveillance campaign against groups opposed to his
% policies in Central America, the White House said today.
%
% The new FBI Director William S. Sessions assured Reagan that there was
% a solid basis for the investigation: "We knew CISPES was established
% from funding by the Communist Party, U.S.A."


Well, Reagan did