Surely, what TPOG and other novels in the sequence are trying to say is that the Minds find manipulating humans, and other intelligent entities, somewhat abhorr

Surely, what TPOG and other novels in the sequence are trying to say is that the Minds find manipulating humans, and other intelligent entities, somewhat abhorrent (see the Ship Gray Matter, for example), and only step in to do it when they can see no other choices. Hence Special Circumstances (as opposed to Contact).