President George W Bush has admitted he authorised secret monitoring of communications within the United States in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks.
In his weekly address, he confirmed a report which appeared in the New York Times on Friday - and attacked it.
Because of the newspaper report, "our enemies have learned information they should not have", he said.
He said the programme was reviewed every 45 days, and insisted he had upheld the law in defending Americans.
Senators of both Mr Bush's Republican party and the opposition Democrats expressed concerns about the programme on Friday.
Senator Arlen Specter, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , said "there is no doubt that this is inappropriate", adding that Senate hearings would be held early next year as "a very, very high priority".
"This is Big Brother run amok," was the reaction of Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy.
Senator Russell Feingold, another Democrat, called it a "shocking revelation" that "ought to send a chill down the spine of every senator and every American".
But in his address on Saturday, Mr Bush said the programme was "critical to saving American lives".
"The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws to protect them and our civil liberties," he said.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Mr Bush had signed a secret presidential order following the attacks on 11 September 2001, allowing the National Security Agency to track the international telephone calls and e-mails of hundreds of people without referral to the courts.
Previously, surveillance on American soil was generally limited to foreign embassies.
American law usually requires a secret court, known as a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, to give permission before intelligence officers can conduct surveillance on US soil.
In his weekly address, he confirmed a report which appeared in the New York Times on Friday - and attacked it.
Because of the newspaper report, "our enemies have learned information they should not have", he said.
He said the programme was reviewed every 45 days, and insisted he had upheld the law in defending Americans.
Senators of both Mr Bush's Republican party and the opposition Democrats expressed concerns about the programme on Friday.
Senator Arlen Specter, the Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee , said "there is no doubt that this is inappropriate", adding that Senate hearings would be held early next year as "a very, very high priority".
"This is Big Brother run amok," was the reaction of Democratic Senator Edward Kennedy.
Senator Russell Feingold, another Democrat, called it a "shocking revelation" that "ought to send a chill down the spine of every senator and every American".
But in his address on Saturday, Mr Bush said the programme was "critical to saving American lives".
"The American people expect me to do everything in my power under our laws to protect them and our civil liberties," he said.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Mr Bush had signed a secret presidential order following the attacks on 11 September 2001, allowing the National Security Agency to track the international telephone calls and e-mails of hundreds of people without referral to the courts.
Previously, surveillance on American soil was generally limited to foreign embassies.
American law usually requires a secret court, known as a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, to give permission before intelligence officers can conduct surveillance on US soil.
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