A culture of secrecy
Subtitle: the government versus the people's right to know
By: edited by Athan G. Theoharis.
Contributors: Theoharis, Athan G.
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Lawrence, Kan
Language: eng
Number of pages: 245
Subjects: Freedom of information -- United States -- Case studies.; Government information -- United States -- Case studies.; Security classification (Government documents) -- United States -- Case studies.
Description: This new book examines who in government is hiding what from the rest of us, how they're doing it, and why it should matter to all of us. Contributing scholars, journalists, and attorneys survey the policies of federal intelligence agencies and presidents - notably Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton - to keep information secret.

They show how these agencies have gone far beyond legitimate security needs to withhold information, and they describe the frustrations and costs encountered in their own efforts to obtain classified information.

The authors review important cases exemplifying State Department, agency, and presidential efforts to withhold, destroy, or delay release of these records. In chapters centering on the Kennedy assassination, the Nixon tapes, and the FBI's files on John Lennon and the Supreme Court justices, readers will find an abundance of startling and disturbing revelations.

By citing some of the methods used by agencies like the CIA, NSA, NSC, and FBI to circumvent the Freedom of Information Act - often with the cooperation of the judicial system - these essays clearly show that abuses of secrecy aren't limited to the withholding of information but extend to the absurd lengths taken to avoid disclosure.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.