Secrecy Wars
Subtitle: National Security, Privacy, and the Public's Right to Know
Edition: 1st edition
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Published: January 15, 2002
Language: eng
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 274
ISBN-13: 9781574883244
Subjects: Espionage & secret services; Political control & influence; Security classification (Government documents); Political Science; Government - U.S. Government; Politics / Current Events; Security classification (Gover; Politics/International Relations; USA; Political Freedom & Security - International Secur; Public Affairs & Administration; Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / General; Freedom of information; United States; Executive privilege (Governmen; Executive privilege (Government information); Official secrets
First sentence: Secret keeping is the United States has been present since the nation's inception.
Description: "Secrecy Wars presents a startling array of information from formerly classified files on the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy, the U.S. nuclear testing program, CIA covert operations, and other major historical events and government programs. Melanson discusses how the wall of secrecy has often led to abuses of power, such as when J. Edgar Hoover's FBI kept intelligence files on prominent persons, celebrities, and ordinary citizens.

The book also examines how government agencies, especially those concerned with foreign policy, routinely cover up mistakes and avoid embarrassing disclosures by denying FOIA requests on the grounds of national security." "With its perspective that of a political-legal drama, this important new book will not only entertain but also serve as an excellent primer for anyone who wants to understand the U.S. secrecy system and citizens' right to request information from the government."--BOOK JACKET.