◆ SpookStack

ere ern cae Cer ere er BEC Toaee “te we Se eee ee eed was yo a November 6, 1980 Mr. William H. Webster Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation Pennsylvania Ave 9th and 10th Sts., NW Washington, D.C. Fable Kus peti sec Re obecanw _ When the Abscam Operation was first reported by newspaper, radio and television I thought it was a very clever sting operation. "The F.B.I. strikes again: The members of Congress who have taken bribes are properly humiliated. They deserve their punishment." Dear Mr. Webster: However, I have thought about it a great deal, and now I have many questions as to the legitimacy of such a project. What philosophy of government lay behind it? What was the Bureau attempting to accomplish? Did you thin that fear of being caught in similar circumstances would act as a deterrent for other members of Congress? Did you want to prove that these particular men could ‘be bought? Why were they chosen? . It seems to me that the function of the F.B.1. is to investigate criminal activity, not to incite it. By what authority do you attempt to entrap a person? Are you not violating his civil rights? How can he be convicted of a crime when the whole thing, is o 1 play ac, a DEAS) 73.) eS Life, itself, provides enough opportunities for men « | and women to demonstrate their character ang taybe 1p sed || by their peers. It is not necessary for the F.B.I. be noble or ignoble without help from your Bureau. . ~ 4 4 : ‘to create situations. Men can prove themselyes<«tes wmexeem | ye % i If you thought that the normal tax-payer would be ‘pleased at the disgrace that has been brought upon these individuals, upon the Congress, and indeed upon our nation, I, for one, am not. The Abscam Caper itself is so opposed to the American system of freedom and justice that it far outweighs the venality of the men it sought to entrar: / Apyefro S80 _ Sincerely yougs,