Pentagon destroys thousands of copies of Army officer's memoir

[Lars77]

Source: CNN

The Department of Defense recently purchased and destroyed thousands of copies of an Army Reserve officer's memoir in an effort to safeguard state secrets, a spokeswoman said Saturday.

"DoD decided to purchase copies of the first printing because they contained information which could cause damage to national security," Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. April Cunningham said.

In a statement to CNN, Cunningham said defense officials observed the September 20 destruction of about 9,500 copies of Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer's new memoir "Operation Dark Heart."

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/US/09/25/books.destroyed/index.html?hpt=P1

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Name one other democracy on this planet where the Department of Defense could do something like this.

[dsc]

1. the UK

which has the official secrets act for one.

[wtmusic]

2. If they really were state secrets, the DoD could seize them

They just make the DoD look bad, so they spend taxpayer money, in vain. What a pantload.

[earcandle]

3. Well now that he is paid, he should release it online for free so we can all read it.

[ezmerelda39]

4. What a great way

to boost sales.........

[Buenaventura]

16. exactly! what better way to encourage a 2d printing!

i wish they'd buy some of my books - not that i've ever had a 1st run of 9500 copies.

[wtmusic]

5. Shit howdy. A good ol' fashioned book burning.

Apparently Amazon is selling a "redacted" version

http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Dark-Heart-Frontlines-Afghanistan/dp/031260369X/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

[OnyxCollie]

6. Nothing suppressive about that. nt

[Aramchek]

7. print it again. they can't burn 'em all

[wtmusic]

9. Publisher is complying; second edition is a redacted version.

It will be leaked online. I wouldn't be at all suprised if it was Wikileaks.

[Supersedeas]

23. Can anyone confirm this? Is there a link regarding the publisher's redacted 2nd Edition

[wtmusic]

24. On Amazon:

"Product Description

Based on Department of Defense security concerns, sections of Operation Dark Heart have been redacted in the published edition. The newly revised book keeps our national interests secure, but this highly qualified warrior's story is still intact. Shaffer's assessment of successes and failures in Afghanistan remains dramatic, shocking, and crucial reading for anyone concerned about the outcome of the war."

http://www.amazon.com/Operation-Dark-Heart-Frontlines-Afghanistan/dp/031260369X

[truth2power]

8. "state secrets", i.e., evidence of war crimes. n/t

[wmbrew0206]

19. Actually it had more to do with capabilities of the US Intel Community.

NPR did a big story on this.

For whatever reason, this officer wrote his book and sent it to DIA to get it cleared. DIA did not get back to him and he and the publisher assumed that he was cleared hot to publish. Once the DIA found out it was going to print, they found a bunch of things they did not what to get out. The book was already being printed, so the DOD agreed to buy the copies being printed in exchange for the publisher not letting it get out to the public.

I believe that there is a plan to publish the DIA approved edition.

[truth2power]

25. I can't imagine why I would want to waste my money

on the redacted edition.

I didn't hear the NPR story, but "capabilities" doesn't fly, in my view. I'm sure our enemy du jour knows what our intel capabilities are. I think the US govt. and the CIA don't want their crimes exposed.

[zehnkatzen]

10. There you go, thinking this is a democracy again. n/t k/r

[AlbertCat]

11. could cause damage to national security

And only a few weeks ago, burning books "could cause damage to national security". This week, not burning books "could cause damage to national security"


Does April Cunningham have a grey handlebar mustache and live in Florida?

:crazy:

[Autumn Colors]

12. The author should seek out a publisher in Iceland (nt)

[Fearless]

13. 1984

[BrklynLiberal]

18. Wow. My first thought as well.

[truth2power]

14. I hope St. Martin's Press gets gouged on this one. Why would I want to waste my money

buying the redacted version?

ALL of it needs to be published. The War Department certainly has no credibility with me.

[Odin2005]

15. More proof that we are a police state.

[goforit]

17. Our fascist state continues, nine years after its birth.

Our military, whimpy as usual as they run from the truth.

[wmbrew0206]

20. NPR did a big story on this story not too long ago.

Submitting a book about the US Intel system before it is printed is very routine. Every former CIA, NSA, or DOD author has to do it or be in violation of the oath the swore.

Not a lot of DIA former employees right books, since they don't do a lot of very sexy intel stuff that people want to read about. They are more research and support to the warfighter, where other agencies do a lot of sexier stuff.

For whatever reason, this officer wrote his book and sent it to DIA to get it cleared. DIA did not get back to him and he and the publisher assumed that he was cleared hot to publish. Once the DIA found out it was going to print, they found a bunch of things they did not what to get out. The book was already being printed, so the DOD agreed to buy the copies being printed in exchange for the publisher not letting it get out to the public.

I believe that there is a plan to publish the DIA approved edition.

[Inuca]

26. This is too rational

I prefer "Police state!!!", "1984!!!!", it's more fun.

[Kelvin Mace]

21. If there were any real substance

to the Pentagon's claim, the court would have stopped the book from being published. And yes, I know about Constitutional law doesn't allow this, but the Constitution is no longer relevant, and hasn't been in ten years.

Talk about wasting the tax-payer's money.

[wmbrew0206]

27. I am pretty sure that DIA screwed the pooch on this one and the DoD had to play nice

since the publisher had the legal right to move forward on the publishing.

I believe that the DIA has to provide what it wants an author to cut out within a certain time frame. If not, any book about the IC could be shelved by the DoD or CIA by just not getting back to the author. Since the DIA did not get back to the author, he and the publisher had the right to print the submitted version. Once that happened and the DIA realized they F'ed up, they had to play nice with the publisher since the publisher had the right to print and would have to do the DoD a favor by not publishing.

[Jumping John]

22. Sol all those publishing house people who were responsible

for the printing of the state's secrets book is just OK with the knowing of those facts? LOL at the pentagon for the big SNAFU on that count. All those type setters and all those proof readers and all those warehouse forklift workers that are just curious about what those state's secrets are.

Thanks to the incompetant pentagon.

[2 Much Tribulation]

28. kick

[PufPuf23]

29. I found two used copies on sale over the weekend

and ordered them but have not received a reply from the sellers.

I wondered if they would be early released review copies.