Tip for Tap

While civil libertarians assail the invasion of privacy by federal agents and local cops who tap private telephones, it seems the snooping business is not a government monopoly. In this electronic age, the feds, too, can be kept under surveillance. Lawyers for Joseph A. Colombo Sr. proved that with rare candor last week. They called Justice Department officials in New York City to arrange for the surrender of the reputed underworld chieftain (TIME, April 5) on a charge of running a $5-million-a-year gambling operation--before the warrant for his arrest had been issued. How did Colombo's men hear about it? They had a tap, they said, on the phone of the department's Brooklyn office.

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