The Lawless State

The Lawless State: The Crimes of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies

First paperback edition
Author	Morton H. Halperin, Jerry J. Berman, Robert L. Borosage, and Christine M. Marwick
Language	English
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Penguin Books
Publication date	1976

The Lawless State: The Crimes of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies was written in 1976 jointly by Morton H. Halperin, Jerry J. Berman, Robert L. Borosage, and Christine M. Marwick. It recounts abuses of power by the U.S. Government throughout the Cold War, and is concerned mostly with surveillance methods and overstepped boundaries. ^{[1] [2]}

Topics mentioned include:

• The CIA and FBI using illegal intelligence and intimidation methods through wiretaps and COINTELPRO.
• The use of dissent-limiting programs such as Operation Chaos to link dissenting anti-war organizations to the USSR, and extensive FBI investigation and sabotage of Martin Luther King Jr.
• U.S. Government activity in South America, and its part in the Chilean coup that put dictator Augusto Pinochet in power.

References

1. Lowry, Ritchie P.; MacCannell, Dean (1978). "Review of Inside the Company; The Lawless State: The Crimes of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies; The Double-Cross System in the War of 1939 to 1945; The Torment of Secrecy: The Background and Consequences of American Security Policies". The Sociological Quarterly. 19 (1): 152–160. ISSN   0038-0253. JSTOR   4105920.
2. James, Judson L.; Pyle, Christopher H. (Summer 1977). "The Lawless State: The Crimes of the U.S. Intelligence Agencies (Book)". Policy Studies Journal. 5 (4): 512. doi:10.1111/1541-0072.ep11795571 (inactive 1 July 2025).