These are questions whose precise answers are usually attempted, or not, in the privacy of closed panels of Congressional overseers.

Mr. Sawyer, in his role as Congressional overseer, says he wants to be sure the department focuses on questions of accuracy alone and not political stability or partisan advantage.

But intelligence officials and Congressional overseers caution that some of those abilities will take years to build and cannot be created by money alone.

Worst of all, the cozy symbiosis between the intelligence community and its Congressional overseers would be shattered if nosy outsiders knew the real rate of growth of our spying spending.

His stature with his Congressional overseers has improved considerably.

I agree that we Congressional overseers have a responsibility to control intelligence agencies.

At 44, he would be the second-youngest Director in the C.I.A.'s history, and the first to rise from the ranks of the agency's Congressional overseers.

If he did not, some of his Congressional overseers would howl.

For the sake of improvement of our own military intelligence - and not to prolong the kowtowing - the N.S.C. should lay the facts before Congressional overseers.

In public hearings and behind closed doors, the C.I.A.'s culture will be examined as they rarely have before, its Congressional overseers are promising.