Democracy in the dark : the seduction of government secrecy /
Schwarz, Frederick A. O. 1935-
Democracy in the dark : the seduction of government secrecy / Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr. - x, 350 pages ; 25 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"From Dick Cheney's man-sized safe to NSA's massive intelligence gathering, secrecy has captured the American government's modus operandi better than the ideals of the Constitution. In this important new book, Fritz Schwarz, who was chief counsel to the U.S. Church Committee on Intelligence-which uncovered CIA plots to assassinate world leaders, including Fidel Castro's exploding cigar-uses examples ranging from the dropping of the first Atomic bomb, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to Iran Contra and 9/11 to illuminate this central question: How much secrecy does good governance require? Schwarz argues that while some control of information is necessary, governments tend to fall prey to a culture of secrecy that is ultimately not just hazardous to democracy but antithetical to it. This historical survey provides the essential context to understand recent cases from Chelsea Manning to Edward Snowden. Democracy in the Dark is a natural companion to Schwarz's Unchecked and Unbalanced, co-written with Aziz Huq, which plumbed the power of the executive branch-a power that often depends on and derives from the use of secrecy. "--
9781620970515 (hardback)
2014035650
Freedom of information--United States.
Official secrets--United States.
Intelligence service--Law and legislation--United States.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / Intelligence.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / International Security.
KF4774 / .S39 2015
342.73/0662
Democracy in the dark : the seduction of government secrecy / Frederick A.O. Schwarz Jr. - x, 350 pages ; 25 cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
"From Dick Cheney's man-sized safe to NSA's massive intelligence gathering, secrecy has captured the American government's modus operandi better than the ideals of the Constitution. In this important new book, Fritz Schwarz, who was chief counsel to the U.S. Church Committee on Intelligence-which uncovered CIA plots to assassinate world leaders, including Fidel Castro's exploding cigar-uses examples ranging from the dropping of the first Atomic bomb, and the Cuban Missile Crisis, to Iran Contra and 9/11 to illuminate this central question: How much secrecy does good governance require? Schwarz argues that while some control of information is necessary, governments tend to fall prey to a culture of secrecy that is ultimately not just hazardous to democracy but antithetical to it. This historical survey provides the essential context to understand recent cases from Chelsea Manning to Edward Snowden. Democracy in the Dark is a natural companion to Schwarz's Unchecked and Unbalanced, co-written with Aziz Huq, which plumbed the power of the executive branch-a power that often depends on and derives from the use of secrecy. "--
9781620970515 (hardback)
2014035650
Freedom of information--United States.
Official secrets--United States.
Intelligence service--Law and legislation--United States.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Government / Executive Branch.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / Intelligence.
POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Freedom & Security / International Security.
KF4774 / .S39 2015
342.73/0662