Francis Rourke
Abstract: Following the conclusion of World War II, the American public became fascinated by the idea of executive secrecy. The execution of D-Day as well as the development of the atomic bomb served as prime examples for the American public of successes that resulted from presidential secrecy. However, recent political events, such as American intervention in Vietnam and the Watergate scandal have challenged the idea that presidential secrecy will lead to outcomes that are in the interests of the American people. This article uses these instances of recent history to illustrate that while selective disclosure may provide economic and personal political benefit to presidents, engaging in secrecy can be detrimental to the policy goals of the executive branch, because it insulates the president from reality and rationality, leading to judgment errors that cast the American public as the victim. The author predicts that the lessons learned from the Watergate scandal and the American experience in Vietnam will serve as a reminder of the dangers of presidential secrecy and reinforce the value of public disclosure and transparency in American democracy.
Keywords: secrecy, selective disclosure, transparency, Watergate, Vietnam War, Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson, CIA, World War II
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