Speaking as a historian, even most of even what should be considered ” secret” – for example, time sensitive information related to diplomatic negotiations – can be safely published in just a few years time. Far less time, in fact, than what is currently used to declassify papers for each new edition of FRUS. Intelligence sources and methods – especially those of ongoing covert operations like the one destroyed by the editors of the Times – are another matter. Publication here does serious damage to U.S. interests and in some instances, endangers lives. Other than in cases of alerting the public to grave wrongdoing by government officials, this behavior is both unethical and illegal and should be subject to prosecution, as Bruce suggests.

Can we trust administration officials -this one or any other – to make the right call here ? Or the Congress ? Or bureaucrats ? Unfortunately not, as history shows that officeholders have a natural inclination to hide as many activities as possible from public view. For its part, a media that feels professionally inclined to be “neutral” between apocalyptic terrorists and their own government that is trying to defend them is no safe guardian either.

A law, narrowly defined to relate only to intelligence operations that have been properly reported to Congress, should suffice to protect that which should be truly kept secret but the political will to punish leakers and the wisdom to use it wisely must come from the American people themselves.

Their elected representatives, their journalists, left to their own devices, are self-serving and faithless.

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