About Leaks in General

• Leaks through History
• Was It Illegal for President Bush to Leak Classified Secrets to Bob Woodward? By HNN Staff
• Deep Throat and the FBI's History of Hiding Its Own Leaks By Athan Theoharis
• Why Did President Ford Ban Assassinations? (Explains that Ford leaked the fact that the CIA had plotted the assassination of foreign leaders.) By HNN Staff
• Rick Shenkman: Leaks that might have changed the history of Vietnam

• Athan Theoharis: Deep Throat and the FBI's History of Hiding Its Own Leaks

• CIA Spy Case: Valerie Plame Leak

Note: This article was first published October 10, 2001 and has now been updated.

7-18-05 The Bush administration is under attack for allegedly leaking the identity of a CIA employee, Valerie Plame, to Robert Novak. This weekend Matthew Cooper, a reporter for Time Magazine, told NBC that he had first learned the identity of Valerie Plame from White House aide Karl Rove. This disclosure undermined the credibility of the White House. In 2003 White House spokesman Scott McClellan called the charge that people in the White House had leaked her identity as an employee of the CIA "ridiculous." In 2004 Rove told CNN that he had not leaked her name to the media. (He says now he only identified her as the wife of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson.)

Most administrations complain about leaks, which weaken their ability to control news. In 2001 President Bush chastised members of Congress for leaking information to the media learned at secret intelligence briefings. He ordered the secretary of state and other members of his administration to restrict the release of secret information about the counterterrorism campaign to top leaders in Congress. After several important senators objected, the president relented.

There are several types of leaks. There are leaks by whistle blowers like Daniel Ellsberg, who leak information in the name of the public. Then there are leaks by high officials who are at war with other high officials. The most famous example of a leaker of this sort was probably Henry Kissinger, who in the Nixon administration used leaks from the National Security Council, which he headed, to undermine the power of the secretary of state, William Rogers. There are also leaks by low-level bureaucrats engaged in classic turf battles. High officials in all administrations going back to George Washington have leaked information in an attempt to control the public agenda and undermine their political opponents.

In a posted comment on this page Nation columnnist David Corn distinguishes between two types of leaks: "those that serve the truth, and those that serve the leaker. I suppose sometimes a leak can do both."

Following is a list of important and controversial leaks in American history.

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

During the administration of George Washington, Treasury Secretary Hamilton leaked confidential information to the British that undermined American diplomats, who were then negotiating the Jay Treaty.

JAMES MADISON

During the administration of James Madison, Secretary of State Robert Smith repeatedly leaked documents to Madison's enemies in the Federalist Party. Madison eventually replaced Smith with James Monroe.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT

After Nelson Miles, the commanding general of the Army, publicly criticized admirals in the Navy and subsequently leaked a memo in which he revealed that Army soldiers had inflicted "cruelties and barbarities" on Philippine rebels, President Theodore Roosevelt became furious. In retaliation, Roosevelt floated a trial balloon. He leaked a story that Miles's retirement was under consideration. When the public expressed continued support for Miles, Roosevelt backed off.

SUMNER WELLES

In November 1942 Undersecretary of State Sumner Welles received incontrovertible evidence that Hitler planned on annihilating the Jews of Europe. Welles immediately leaked the information to Jewish leader Dr. Stephen Wise. Wise then promptly held a press conference to announce the news.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

After the Japanese Rape of Nanking, FDR leaked to press stories of Japanese atrocities. At the time he was seeking new funds to expand the Navy.

During World War II FDR became convinced that the wife of his trusted aide, Harry Hopkins, was leaking material damaging to the administration. According to Victor Lasky, FDR placed a wiretap on Hopkins's phone.

JOHN KENNEDY

According to Victor Lasky, during the presidential campaign of 1960 Kennedy aides "filched" secret polls produced by the United States Information Agency that showed that American prestige had declined under the Republicans. Kennedy leaked the polls to the New York Times and then used them to undermine the campaign of opponent Richard Nixon.

In the summer of 1961 President John Kennedy instigated one of the most important leaks in American history. The consequences were devastating. Worried that he had been humiliated by Khrushchev at a celebrated meeting in Vienna, Kennedy leaked to the newspapers evidence that the United States had clear strategic nuclear superiority over the Soviet Union. The leak humiliated Khrushchev. Under pressure, the Soviet leader ordered nuclear missiles to be slipped into Cuba. This decision led directly to the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

RICHARD NIXON

In 1971 the Joint Chiefs of Staff were caught spying on the National Security Council. The plot was uncovered after a leak to journalist Jack Anderson.

The most famous leak in American history occurred in 1971 when Daniel Ellsberg, an opponent of the Vietnam War, leaked a confidential history of the war to the New York Times. The disclosure of the history, which became known as the Pentagon Papers, prompted Nixon to create the infamous Plumbers Unit. The Plumbers subsequently broke into the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist in hopes of collecting damaging information against him. Later, several members of the Plumbers were involved in the Watergate break-in.

While many Americans have never heard of Daniel Ellsberg, nearly all have heard of Deep Throat. Deep Throat was a key source for the Watergate reporting of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, reporters for the Washington Post. In 2005 the family of Deep Throat revealed his identity: W. Mark Felt, one-time acting director of the FBI.

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