The only government official ever convicted of leaking classified information to the media, Morison had provided three secret satellite photos of a Soviet aircraft carrier in a Northern Fleet harbor to Jane's Defence Weekly . We think giving classified information to people who are unauthorized to receive it is a bad thing to do and giving pardons to people who are convicted of doing that sends the wrong signal to people who are currently entrusted with classified information. The Aftergood favorable evaluation of the Clinton pardon action is distinguished by its uniqueness. The Bush Administration received support from different source regarding its anti-missile shield campaign. The leaked report noted that Iraq was using familiar middlemen and new procurement channels to buy missile components and was estimated to be close again to producing missiles.
Presidential directives are a largely unaccountable instrument of executive authority.
They are used to establish and implement national security policy, and they often authorize the commitment of government resources. They are usually classified and Congress is not routinely notified of their existence or contents. The previous Bush Administration did not declassify any of its presidential directives in its first three years, although several have been declassified since then. For historians trying to explain US foreign policy, this is a handicap. For national security, however, it is essential to maintain confidentiality for at least a half century or sometimes more.