Stanley A. McChrystal Quotes
Leaks are so damaging because they undermine trust.
Trust is undermined in 2 ways. Allies and others who speak or negotiation with the government in confidence, lose trust in the government to maintain the appropriate level of confidentiality and security over information. And second, citizens lost trust in the government because they have been secretive and kept information from the citizenry that usually is just embarrassing or being kept secret to avoid opposition. Worst is when the leak shows that the Government has been lying to the public. Where there are what the public regards as legitimate secrets, public trust is not diminished, but those instances are not typical.
Stanley A. McChrystal, Army General & Commander of Coalition Forces in Afghanistan, Quoted on PBS, The Charlie Rose Show, January 22, 2014
Sourced by: Eigen's Political and Historical Quotations
Bush had served earlier as the head of the CIA and understood the costs of such better than most. He was put in a difficult position when his son was President and one of the senior White House operatives, for small partisan advantage, leaked the name and identity of Valerie Plame, a covert CIA operative. Bush the father, remained silent even after the leaker was identified.
Defending his action in prosecuting a newspaper editor and three others for publishing a 'secret' government economic report:
The “gentleman” was a member of Congress. This is an issue between the Congress and the Executive Branch which has existed as long as our Republic: Whether all members of Congress should have access to all classified secret information of the Government. Mrs. Roosevelt who was usually an advocate of transparency, on this issue tended to side with the argument of the executive branch. Note that the arguments made in 1939 are still fought over today.
The leaks not only did not stop, but they became worse than ever.
The Time Magazine Reporter, Hugh Sidey had just leaked the results of a Time poll to Kissinger, who promised to keep it to himself. The poll showed Nixon way ahead in the election. No sooner had Kissinger ended his conversation with Sidey than he shared the poll information with Haldeman. In this fascinating quotation Kissinger breaks his promise to Sidey, but lets Haldeman know that he is doing so. This is an example of the insight the Watergate tapes give us into political behavior where leading public officials think nothing about going back on their word, but they even gain esteem from their colleagues in doing so. It also illustrates a common but not very well known practice regarding leaking. The press not only utilize leaks from high administration officials but in many cases they return the favor and leak information about what stories they are working on, editorials coming or—as in this case—the results of polls. The leaking is not only one way in politics, but the press also leaks to increase the personal bond with the government leakers by reciprocating.
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired United States Army general best known for his command of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in the mid-2000s. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, United States Forces – Afghanistan (USFOR-A). He previously served as Director, Joint Staff from August 2008 to June 2009 and as Commander of JSOC from 2003 to 2008, where he was credited with the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, but also criticized for his alleged role in the cover-up of the Pat Tillman friendly fire incident. McChrystal was reportedly known for saying what other military leaders were thinking but were afraid to say; this was one of the reasons cited for his appointment to lead all forces in Afghanistan. He held the post from June 15, 2009 to June 23, 2010.
