The building's design was reviewed to incorporate the necessary protection for Britain's foreign intelligence-gathering agency.

No intelligence-gathering agency had a perfect record, but SI was never that bad.

Forgotten by virtually all, the chamber was now used as a meeting place for certain people in the country's primary intelligence-gathering agency.

"A poor state of affairs for an intelligence-gathering agency," Buchanan said, even managing a smile.

Ostrovsky has repeatedly argued that intelligence-gathering agencies must be permitted certain operational freedoms, but that significantly increased governmental oversight of espionage activities is necessary.

Each Monday, current intelligence groups for various parts of the world meet in the Cabinet Office, bringing together line men from all the intelligence-gathering agencies and their customer departments.

Some members have suggested that the commission may want to recommend the creation of domestic intelligence-gathering agencies separate from the F.B.I., similar to Britain's MI-5.

The Maastricht Treaty allowed for the creation of Europol as an intelligence-gathering agency on the illegal drugs trade.

"There's been unprecedented collaboration and coordination among intelligence-gathering agencies," he said.

Other commission members, and their staff, will be more familiar than Mr. Kean with the ins and outs of America's intelligence-gathering agencies.