To the Point

Homeland Security and Foreign Intelligence

As President Bush vows that the FBI and CIA will start sharing information, Congress wants to know why they haven't done so before. If they can't share with each other, how will America's agencies be able to work with spies from other countries? It's common wisdom that the best weapon in the war on terrorism will be intelligence. But that has serious implications for an open society and its civil liberties. Will Americans, like Europeans, have to adjust to domestic spying? Measuring the US against countries experienced with terrorism on their own soil, how prepared are we to deal with the challenges of the 21st century? We look at the need for intelligence-gathering with experts from the FBI and its German equivalent, a terrorism expert from Scotland's University of St. Andrews and the president of the American Civil Liberties Union. (Originally broadcast June 4, 2002.) Newsmaker: US Military Operations Vetted by Lawyers As international laws have grown in number and complexity, the Pentagon has begun deploying a new kind of army. In war rooms, on aircraft carriers, even sleeping near soldiers on desert sands, lawyers have become part of America's fighting forces. Esther Schrader has been following the story for the Los Angeles Times. (Originally broadcast February 15, 2002) Reporter's Notebook: Author Susan Sontag Sells Papers to UCLA Susan Sontag has authored works of nonfiction, short stories and plays. Her novel In America won the National Book Award. For her body of work, she received the Jerusalem Prize just last year. Earlier this year, to the envy of other institutions around the country, she agreed to sell her literary archive to UCLA. Sontag muses on life, literature and America's role in the world. (Originally broadcast January 31, 2002)