Some fear eavesdropping could undermine work of spy agency ... spent three decades recovering from domestic spying scandals in the 1970s

Some fear eavesdropping could undermine work of spy agency: "Posted on Fri, Dec. 23, 2005 | BY WARREN P. STROBEL AND JONATHAN S. LANDAY | Knight Ridder Newspapers

WASHINGTON - The White House decision to order surveillance of international phone calls by U.S. citizens without a warrant violated longstanding practices and could undermine a key U.S. intelligence agency that's critical in the struggle against terrorists, former senior intelligence officials and other experts said this week.

The super-secret National Security Agency, which eavesdropped on the Soviet Union's leaders and scored other intelligence coups during the Cold War, has spent three decades recovering from domestic spying scandals in the 1970s.

Now, with its electronic ears and vast computer banks turned primarily to intercepting suspecting terrorists, the officials said they fear that the NSA once again will bear the brunt of congressional scrutiny and public outrage, complicating its mission.

'The damage it's done to NSA's reputation is almost irreversible in my view,' said a longtime top intelligence official with intimate knowledge of the agency's workings." ...