In September 27, 2006 New York Times editorial titled “The Fine Art of Declassification" the editorial staff of the New York Times makes the following opening statement:

“It’s hard to think of a president and an administration more devoted to secrecy than President Bush and his team. Except, that is, when it suits Mr. Bush politically to give the public a glimpse of the secrets. And so, yesterday, he ordered the declassification of a fraction of a report by United States intelligence agencies on the global terrorist threat”.

Interesting how the editors of the NY Times don’t seem fit to mention that the person(s) that leaked the secret information to them last weekend committed a crime for selfish political purposes only.

Anyway, anyone interested in freshening up their memories on the subject of secrecy of governments might want to read the late-great Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s book titled “Secrecy: The American Experience”. Moynihan was the authority on the subject with his experience as the chairman of the 1995-1996 Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy. Moynihan believes that starting with the Wilson Espionage Act of 1917, governmental secrecy became institutionalized. He then argues that it is inherently counterproductive for a civil democratic society.

Moynihan, by the way, wrote the book in 1998 long before President George W. Bush took office.