https://archive.org/details/PikeCommitteeReports/page/n19 https://archive.org/details/PikeCommitteeReports/page/n19 >NSA's work necessarily brings it in posses

https://archive.org/details/PikeCommitteeReports/page/n19 https://archive.org/details/PikeCommitteeReports/page/n19 >NSA's work necessarily brings it in possession of the private communications of Americans. This is so because in order for NSA to monitor international lines of communications for foreign intelligence, NSA must intercept all communications transmitted over such links. ... >First, it suggests that NSA is able monitor virtually every international communication entering or leaving the United States. At present, some 24 million telegrams and 50 million telex (teletype) messages enter, leave, and transit the United States annually, and most of these are sent or received by private citizens. Millions of additional messages are transmitted over leased lines, including millions of computer data transmissions electronically entering and leaving the country each year. International telephone calls are yet another potential source of intelligence.