Operation CHAOS was a covert domestic espionage project conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from 1967 to 1974. It was initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson and expanded under President Richard Nixon. The operation aimed to uncover potential foreign influence on domestic protest movements, including anti-war and civil rights groups. The CIA was concerned about possible links between these movements and international communist entities.
Under the direction of Richard Helms and James Jesus Angleton, Operation CHAOS involved extensive data collection on American citizens and organizations. Methods included physical surveillance, electronic monitoring (wiretapping), and infiltration of various groups. The CIA amassed around 13,000 files, including files on 7,200 Americans, and a computerized index with over 300,000 names of people and organizations. Prominent figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Bella Abzug were among those targeted. Despite the operation's extensive reach, the CIA ultimately found no evidence of significant foreign control or influence over the anti-war movement. The exposure of Operation CHAOS led to public outrage and governmental scrutiny, raising concerns about civil liberties and the misuse of intelligence. A commission led by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller concluded that some activities of Operation CHAOS unlawfully exceeded the CIA's authority.
