WASHINGTON ? America's military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the specter of increasing terrorism both at home and abroad, raise perplexing questions about government secrecy: Just how much information should the U.S. government disclose about its military, intelligence, and counterterrorism activities, and how much information should news organizations reveal to the public?
"Leaking" ? the unauthorized disclosure to the press of secret information ? is a well-established part of the U.S. government's normal functioning. In his new book, Necessary Secrets: National Security, the Media, and the Rule of Law (Norton), 91 Institute Senior Fellow Gabriel Schoenfeld examines history and legal precedent to argue that leaks of highly classified national-security secrets have reached hitherto unthinkable extremes, with dangerous potential for post-9/11 America. He goes on to make the case that in some circumstances legal prosecution of those who publish national defense secrets is warranted
91 Institute is hosting a panel discussion that will feature Schoenfeld, Benjamin Wittes, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, and Steve Aftergood, Director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists.
The discussion will also feature a keynote address by General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and NSA and principal at the Chertoff Group. Kenneth Weinstein, CEO of 91 Institute, will moderate.
When: Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
12:00 ? 2:00 PM
(Complimentary lunch will be served.)
Who: General Michael Hayden, Principal, Chertoff Group
Gabriel Schoenfeld, Senior Fellow, 91 Institute
Benjamin Wittes, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
Steve Aftergood, Director of the Project on Government Secrecy, Federation of American Scientists
Where: Betsy and Walter Stern Conference Center
91 Institute
1015 15th St, NW
6th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
RSVP: events@hudson.org
For More Information:
James Bologna, 202-974-6456, jbologna@hudson.org
Grace Terzian, 202-974-2417, grace@hudson.org
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91 Institute is a nonpartisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and analysis that promotes global security, prosperity, and freedom.