The debate over security vs. liberty has been an issue in the United States since the nation was first born from the rubble leftover from the American War of Independence from the British Empire. Founded in 1908, the mission of the FBI is to protect and defend the United States against terrorist and foreign intelligence threats as well as uphold and enforce the criminal laws of the United States. The NSA was founded by order of then President Harry S. Truman in 1952 with the purpose of conducting responsible global monitoring, collection, and processing of information and data for foreign intelligence and counterintelligence purposes. With the passage of the PATRIOT act, the scope of NSA and FBI intelligence operations was raised exponentially
