From The Guardian UK: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/nsa-chiefs-letter-employees-families
General Keith Alexander and deputy director John Inglis sign letter ‘in light of unauthorised disclosure of classified information’
Adam Gabbatt in New York
theguardian.com, Friday 20 September 2013
The National Security Agency has sent a letter to its employees’ family members, in an effort to “reassure” relatives about the agency’s work.
The letter, signed by NSA director General Keith Alexander and deputy director John Inglis, is dated 13 September and is addressed to “NSA/CSS family”. It characterises press reports of NSA overreaches as “sensationalised” and laments how stories published on documents leaked by Edward Snowden have seen the agency portrayed “as more of a rogue element than a national treasure”.
“We are writing to you, our extended NSA/CSS family, in light of the unauthorized disclosure of classified information by a former contractor employee,” says the letter, which was published on The Dissenter website on Friday. “We want to put the information you are reading and hearing about in the press into context and reassure you that this Agency and its workforce are deserving and appreciative of your support.”
The NSA has been under scrutiny since details of its surveillance programs were revealed by the Guardian and other outlets. The agency has been criticised for collecting Americans’ phone and internet data, in what some see as a breach of the fourth amendment.
“Some media outlets have sensationalized the leaks to the press in a way that has called into question our motives and wrongly cast doubt on the integrity and commitment of the extraordinary people who work here at NSA/CSS – your loved one(s),” the letter says. “It has been discouraging to see how our Agency frequently has been portrayed in the news as more of a rogue element than a national treasure. You’ve seen the dedication, skill and integrity that those employees bring to their job each and every workday, contributing to the accomplishments of the agency over the past 61 years.”
The message is aimed at providing a morale boost to NSA staff and their families while also providing talking points and rebuttals to criticisms of the agency. Alexander and Inglis write that they will continue to provide employees with “materials they can bring home to help you understand that our activities are lawful, appropriate and effective”.
Continue reading at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/20/nsa-chiefs-letter-employees-families
