The Montreal Spy Ring of 1898 and the Origins of American 'Domestic' Surveillance in the United States

Type of resource
Author/collaborator
Title
The Montreal Spy Ring of 1898 and the Origins of American 'Domestic' Surveillance in the United States
Abstract
Continuous, domestic surveillance began in the United States during the Spanish-American War of 1898 when the Treasury Department's Secret Service organized an "emergency force" for counter-intelligence work. This special force was expected to guard the United States against enemy espionage, and to keep a watch on Spanish sympathizers internally. The author points out that ironically and prophetically, the special force's one notable success came on Canadian soil, when its agents discovered and dislocated Spanish espionage activities centred in Montreal. The author argues that the success of the special force in splintering the Montreal spy ring blinded most Americans to the high-handed nature of its actions. He points out that its agents were directly responsible for the detention of men without trial, for burglary, for interference with private correspondence, and for leaking to privileged politicians information calculated to injure their enemies.
Publication
Canadian Review of American Studies
Volume
Vol. 5
Issue
no. 2
Pages
119-134
Date
Fall 1974
Language
en
Citation
Jeffreys-Jones, Rhodri. “The Montreal Spy Ring of 1898 and the Origins of American ‘Domestic’ Surveillance in the United States.” Canadian Review of American Studies Vol. 5, no. 2 (Fall 1974): 119–134.
Find in a library
Permalink