A peril to national security

An alarming national-security state apparatus is growing inside the executive branch of the US government. If we are an open and democratic society, this apparatus should be dismantled. It consists of the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Council, and parts of the Department of Defense. They are accountable only to the president and their budgets are concealed from public view. Cries of "national security," keep them from checks and balances by the other branches of government.In 1980, disgruntled CIA agents dismissed by President Carter allegedly used their covert tools to suborn a US election. And for 45 years, this secret apparatus has established a network throughout the world that subverts at will other countries' elections to further US interests. When will Congress investigate this? Grace Wise, La Grange, Ill. Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published, subject to condensation, and none acknowledged. Please address them to "Readers Write," One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115.