federal judges selected by the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme
Court. The court of review determines whether the application was
properly denied. Its decision can be appealed directly to the U.S.
Supreme Court.40 COMMITTEE. This National Security Council (NSC) committee
was established during the presidency of Richard M.Nixonto re-
view and approve covert actionproposals. The committee was com-
posed of the national security advisor, representatives of the secre-
tary of defense and secretary of state, the chairman of the Joint
Chiefs of Staff (JCS), and the attorney general. Henry A.Kissinger,
the national security advisor and secretary of state during the Nixon
administration, chaired the committee. See also5412 SPECIAL
GROUP; 303 COMMITTEE.FRANKLIN, BENJAMIN (1706–1790). One of the most famous
founding fathers and, after President George Washington, the best
known American intelligence operative during and after the Revolu-
tionary War. A writer, publisher, scientist, and politician, Franklin
served in various positions in pre- and postrevolutionary America. In
1753, he was appointed postmaster general of the colonies by the
British government and then was sent by the Pennsylvania assembly
to London to act as its agent. He returned to America in 1775 and
joined the Second Continental Congress, where he served on the
committee to draft the Declaration of Independence.
Congress in December 1776 sent Franklin to France to secure
French aid for the Revolution. Franklin, with a strong reputation in
France, did much to gain French recognition of the new republic in- He also helped to direct U.S. naval operations and was a suc-
cessful agent for the United States in Europe—the sole one after sus-
picions and quarrels caused Congress to annul the powers of the other
American commissioners. In 1781, Franklin was chosen as one of the
American diplomats to negotiate peace with Great Britain and laid
the groundwork for the 1783 Treaty of Paris, in which Great Britain
officially recognized the breakaway republic.
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA) OF 1966.The FOIA
was the first law to establish a legal right of access to government in-76 • 40 COMMITTEE05-398 (2) Dictionary.qxd 10/20/05 6:27 AM Page 76