Unauthorized disclosure

Unauthored disclosure, in the context of information necessary to preserve and maintain a country's national security -- often refered to in the vernacular as a leak -- is obviously a matter of deep concern.

Watergate

Unauthorized disclosures of confidential and/or secret information have led to full-blown scandal in the White House. In the Watergate case, someone codenamed Deep Throat revealed details of a White House coverup by President Richard M. Nixon and staff co-conspirators.

Valerie Plame

On July 14, 2003, the name of Valerie Plame, wife of retired Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, was leaked by columnist Robert Novak as a CIA covert operative.

Related SourceWatch Resources

• Bush administration scandals
• Covert Agent Identity Protection Act
• Unofficial Official Secrets Act

External links

• Jim Geraghty, A Brief History of Classified Leaks. No public official has leaked a CIA employee's identity since...oh, 1995 or so, NationalReview.com, October 1, 2003.
• William Safire, Who's Shallow Throat?, New York Times, October 6, 2003.