COINTELPRO (an acronym for COunter INTELligence PROgram) was a series of covert, and at times illegal,projects conducted by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation] (FBI) aimed at surveying, infiltrating, discrediting, and disrupting domestic [[political organizations. National Security Agency operation Project MINARET targeted the personal communications of leading Americans, including Senators Frank Church and Howard Baker, civil rights leaders, including Dr.