In 1975, the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with respect to intelligence activities began a formal inquiry into abuses committed by the CIA, NSA, FBI, and the IRS. The committee, known as the Church Committee, was chaired by Idaho Senator Frank Church and was part of a series of investigations into intelligence abuses in 1975, dubbed the Year of Intelligence.

The University of California in Berkeley held a seminar on intelligence agency abuses and political assassinations in April 1975. One of the highlights of the UC Berkeley seminar was a lecture by political scientist, author, and researcher Dr. Peter Dale Scott. I was fortunate to have been invited to record the lectures. In this episode of the Plutopia podcast, you’ll hear the full lecture by Dr. Scott. This recording from my archives is now 50 years old. You should listen to this as an example of what can happen when a government uses its intelligence agencies to mislead or harm its citizens. Some of the statements may be outdated or debunked, but Dr. Scott presents a vivid account of extreme misconduct by U.S. intelligence agencies. With that in mind, we present Dr. Peter Dale Scott’s lecture in its entirety on the Plutopia podcast as we take a look back at the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.