Surveillance of The A.P. - NYTimes.com The Justice Department defends its decision not to follow its own rules and notify The Associated Press of its plan to subpoena The A.P."s telephone records - and thereby risk judicial opposition - because it would pose a "substantial threat to the integrity of the investigation" ("Phone Records of Journalists Seized by U.S.," front page, May 14). Let's see if "integrity" can fairly describe that investigation. Without judicial approval, and with secret subpoenas, the government surreptitiously obtained records of home, office and cellphone calls over two months, for 20 phone lines for up to 100 A.P. journalists, in Hartford, New York, Washington and its office in the House of Representatives. The purpose or effect of the surveillance was both to retaliate against The A.P. for breaking a foiled bomb plot story before the Obama administration could present its own story line the next day, and to intimidate future whistle-blowers from talking to the press. Whatever words describe this huge intrusion, "integrity" is not among them. The writer, who teaches media law at Brooklyn, Columbia and Fordham Law Schools, is a former outside counsel to The Associated Press.