NSA surveillance program

On 7/31/13 The Record reported on the NSA program by headlining "NSA papers released, but concern in growing".  I thought the following passage informative.   "A senior NSA official conceded that the surveillance effort was the primary tool in thwarting only one plot-not the dozens that officials previously suggested".  

This program comes under the supervision of the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court with the order to record "phone calls, emails, chats and the browsing histories of millions of individuals".

But we are assured that "only appropriately trained and authorized personal have access to the records" (like Edward Snowden, I would ask).