--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ…" description: "\"“Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and deliberate breaches of the law. In the big scandals of the 1960s, the FBI illegally bugged ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/edward-lucas-26092_darkest-hour_nobody-has-proved-that-the-nsa-or-gchq-c_3045967.jpg" --- # Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and… ![“Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and deliberate breaches of the law. In the big scandals of the 1960s, the FBI illegally bugged American citizens and tried to blackmail the government's political opponents. For example, it wanted to make Martin Luther King commit suicide, by…” quote by Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/edward-lucas-26092_darkest-hour_nobody-has-proved-that-the-nsa-or-gchq-c_3045967.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/edward-lucas-26092_darkest-hour_nobody-has-proved-that-the-nsa-or-gchq-c_3045967.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/91a/edward-lucas-26092_darkest-hour_nobody-has-proved-that-the-nsa-or-gchq-c_3045967.jpg) > ““Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and deliberate breaches of the law. In the big scandals of the 1960s, the FBI illegally bugged American citizens and tried to blackmail the government's political opponents. For example, it wanted to make Martin Luther King commit suicide, by threatening him with the exposure of his adultery. No comparable examples have been produced now, and I do not believe any will be. Nobody has produced individual victims of illegal NSA activity. There is no evidence of wilful, systematic breaches of the law by the NSA, or of contempt within its ranks, at any level, for judicial and legislative oversight. There is no modern counterpart of J Edgar Hoover, the brooding madman who brought the FBI to its darkest hour.”” [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues there is no proof of systematic illegal NSA activity, contrasting it with historic FBI abuses. **In simple terms:** No evidence of systematic illegal NSA actions. Key Takeaway Question evidence before assuming wrongdoing. Themes surveillance government accountability historical comparison Mood skeptical analytical Type political critical informative When to use this quote - policy debate - media reporting - public advocacy - academic research Key Concepts legal oversight civil liberties institutional trust Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards are needed to prevent abuse? - How reliable are historical analogies? A Different Perspective The claim may overlook classified evidence or future abuses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Darkest hour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkest-hour/) [Fbi Illegally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fbi-illegally-5043168/) [Illegal Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal-nsa-5043166/) [J edgar hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/j-edgar-hoover/) [Nsa Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa-activity-5043170/) [Nsa Contempt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nsa-contempt-5043167/) [Proved Nsa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proved-nsa-5043169/) ## Related quotes > [“I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/i-regret-to-say-that-we-of-the-fbi-are-powerless-to-act-in-cases-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover “mistrusted and disliked all three Kennedy brothers. President Johnson and Hoover had mutual fear and hatred for the Kennedys,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/fbi-director-j-edgar-hoover-mistrusted-and-disliked-all-three-kennedy/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [ It's an incredible education \[for the movie J. Edgar Hoover\] . It was like I did a college course on J. Edgar Hoover but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-lance-black/it-s-an-incredible-education-for-the-movie-j-edgar-hoover-it-was-like/) [Dustin Lance Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-lance-black/) > [I just kind of had my own impressions growing up with Hoover as a heroic figure in the 40s - actually the 30s, 40s,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-just-kind-of-had-my-own-impressions-growing-up-with-hoover-as-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [I have great respect for the FBI, and I know that there have been some rumors lately that the FBI was disenchanted because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-have-great-respect-for-the-fbi-and-i-know-that-there-have-been-some/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“Sometime in the fifties I remember seeing On the Waterfront in the movies with Mary and thinking that I’m at least as bad as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/sometime-in-the-fifties-i-remember-seeing-on-the-waterfront-in-the-2/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [“Violent anti-communist fears by the military and munition makers justified the transformation of a once democratic nation into the fascist state we have today.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-brussell/violent-anti-communist-fears-by-the-military-and-munition-makers/) [Mae Brussell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-brussell/) > [If Congress is going to investigate baseball players about whether or not they told the truth, how can we justify giving the most powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-congress-is-going-to-investigate-baseball-players-about-whether-or/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [By 1967, J. Edgar Hoover had concluded that the Black Panther Party had replaced the Communist Party as the gravest threat to national security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/by-1967-j-edgar-hoover-had-concluded-that-the-black-panther-party-had/) [Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/) > [“Later that same year John F. Kennedy was elected president by a thin margin. The first thing he did was appoint his brother attorney…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-brandt/later-that-same-year-john-f-kennedy-was-elected-president-by-a-thin/) [Charles Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-brandt/) > [Complex man that he was, J. Edgar Hoover left nothing to chance. The director shrewdly recognized that building what became known as the world's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-kessler/complex-man-that-he-was-j-edgar-hoover-left-nothing-to-chance-the/) [Ronald Kessler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-kessler/) > [There was one moment when J. Edgar Hoover and us had the same distorted lens about who we were - "a real threat," you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/there-was-one-moment-when-j-edgar-hoover-and-us-had-the-same/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [ \[ J. Edgar\]Hoover, I'm sure, felt that he was right in everything he did and even the things that we don't like about his… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/j-edgar-hoover-i-m-sure-felt-that-he-was-right-in-everything-he-did/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [You know, back in the 1950s and '60s, when J. Edgar Hoover was making the FBI the respected organization it used to be, oftentimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-carr/you-know-back-in-the-1950s-and-60s-when-j-edgar-hoover-was-making-the/) [Howie Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-carr/) > [I grew up with J. Edgar Hoover. He was the G-man, a hero to everybody, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation was the big,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-grew-up-with-j-edgar-hoover-he-was-the-g-man-a-hero-to-everybody/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) ## More by Edward Lucas > [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Snowden revelations have also exposed the fact that senior officials, particularly America's Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, have not been fully frank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-snowden-revelations-have-also-exposed-the-fact-that-senior/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The idea that the material is safe because it is encrypted is shockingly naïve: it is child's play for a sophisticated adversary to place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-idea-that-the-material-is-safe-because-it-is-encrypted-is/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Kremlin also is determined, along with China, to wrest control of the internet from the American-based committees which run it now. 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George W Bush's administration made a bonfire of American soft power with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/relationships-have-decayed-trust-has-ebbed-this-is-not-a-new-problem/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Snowdenistas' exaggeration stems from a conflation of self-criticism with self-hatred. In their eyes, democracy, the rule of law and constitutional government have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-snowdenistas-exaggeration-stems-from-a-conflation-of-self/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“Rahul Sagar, a professor at Princeton, has defined these well in his new book Secrets and Leaks:73 First, a whistleblower must have clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/rahul-sagar-a-professor-at-princeton-has-defined-these-well-in-his/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“I freely admit that it is possible that Snowden conceived his plan on his own, and with honourable if mistaken motives. It may well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/i-freely-admit-that-it-is-possible-that-snowden-conceived-his-plan-on/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated commercial espionage with statecraft. That would be shocking if true. It would be illegal under American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/perhaps-the-gravest-charge-was-that-america-conflated-commercial/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“If the NSA is able to intercept the communications of a top Russian politician, surely it deserves praise (in private), not censure and exposure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/if-the-nsa-is-able-to-intercept-the-communications-of-a-top-russian/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The NSA and allies scamper through the plumbing of the internet like mice through the nooks and crannies of an old house. Huge slices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-nsa-and-allies-scamper-through-the-plumbing-of-the-internet-like/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The members of the committee were aware of the programmes concerned, having been briefed on them in classified sessions. The question was, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-members-of-the-committee-were-aware-of-the-programmes-concerned/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) [Explore all 22 Edward Lucas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) ## More Darkest hour quotes > [No matter where are you going to be in your darkest hours or days in life, remember ; I will find you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshy/no-matter-where-are-you-going-to-be-in-your-darkest-hours-or-days-in/) [Ewshy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshy/) > [I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-campbell/i-think-for-most-americans-knowledge-of-the-islamic-world-was-pretty/) [Thomas P. 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Do not take away the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/take-bread-away-from-me-if-you-wish-take-air-away-but-do-not-take/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [“Chaotic Of Echoes The Lands Darkest Hours Of Lions Architect the Garlots of War The Precognitions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-ballantine/chaotic-of-echoes-the-lands-darkest-hours-of-lions-architect-the/) [Philippa Ballantine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-ballantine/) > [Extraordinary event can easily happen to us , things like miracle in the darkest hours of our life If we can be patient and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/extraordinary-event-can-easily-happen-to-us-things-like-miracle-in/) [Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/) > [Most people want to be the sun that brightens up your life, but I'd rather be the moon that shines down on you in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-want-to-be-the-sun-that-brightens-up-your-life-but-i-d/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The darkest hour was just before dawn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-darkest-hour-was-just-before-dawn/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Nobody looks good in their darkest hour. But it's those hours that make us what we are. We stand strong, or we cower. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/nobody-looks-good-in-their-darkest-hour-but-it-s-those-hours-that/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“Through the darkest paths, you can reach the brightest heavens and this marvellous possibility will keep you full of life even in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/through-the-darkest-paths-you-can-reach-the-brightest-heavens-and/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“For I had loved Seid even in his darkest hours, even as he cursed me and we rode upon a fine line between ardor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-silverwood/for-i-had-loved-seid-even-in-his-darkest-hours-even-as-he-cursed-me/) [Jennifer Silverwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-silverwood/) > [“Hope is that tiny light that the gods have given us so that we can find our way through our darkest hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/hope-is-that-tiny-light-that-the-gods-have-given-us-so-that-we-can/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I said, "Jesse, don't flatter yourself that I did this for you. I mean, it has been nothing but one giant pain in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-said-jesse-don-t-flatter-yourself-that-i-did-this-for-you-i-mean-it/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [“Well done, last of the Kings of Narnia, who stood firm at the darkest hour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/well-done-last-of-the-kings-of-narnia-who-stood-firm-at-the-darkest/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [Nobody looks good in their darkest hours. But its those hours that make us what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/superman/nobody-looks-good-in-their-darkest-hours-but-its-those-hours-that/) [Superman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/superman/) > [Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour True friends are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/habeeb-akande/fake-friends-are-like-shadows-always-near-you-at-your-brightest/) [Habeeb Akande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/habeeb-akande/) [Browse all 178 Darkest hour quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/darkest-hour/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nobody has proved that the NSA or GCHQ committed grave and deliberate breaches of the law. In the big scandals of the 1960s, the FBI illegally bugged American citizens and tried to blackmail the government's political opponents. For example, it wanted to make Martin Luther King commit suicide, by threatening him with the exposure of his adultery. No comparable examples have been produced now, and I do not believe any will be. Nobody has produced individual victims of illegal NSA activity. There is no evidence of wilful, systematic breaches of the law by the NSA, or of contempt within its ranks, at any level, for judicial and legislative oversight. 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