Governmental secrecy

Kim FitzGerald’s letter (BDN, Aug. 12) raises a few justifiable criticisms of John Buell’s column (Aug. 5), but I think FitzGerald cannot refute most of Buell’s arguments. Buell’s main point is that U.S. governmental secrecy undermines democracy and is dangerous to the health and safety of Americans and foreigners alike.

I think he is right, and he very appropriately refers to the U.S. nuclear arms program as an example. This program was legitimately begun in deep secrecy during World War II, but the secrecy was maintained long past the point at which serious damage was done to the American environment, the health of many citizens, and the confidence of many Americans in their government. Government officials from the president on down deceived, manipulated, and lied to the public about the dangers of building and testing nuclear weapons. Those officials decided that defeating Communism was so important that it justified all the deception and callous disregard for the public welfare. Graphic accounts of this heartless policy are given in the books, “At Work in the Fields of the Bomb,” by Robert Del Tredici and “American Ground Zero: The Secret Nuclear War,” by Carole Gallagher.

American history is rife with instances of official secrecy and deception about many other destructive governmental activities, including recent U.S. involvement in civil wars in Guatemala and Nicaragua, sabotage and assassination attempts in Cuba (Operation Mongoose in 1961-62 was top secret), sales of weapons to Iran in the Iran-Contra scandal, even a U.S. military invasion of Russia in 1918 which probably contributed ot the Cold War decades later.

Informed public debate fostered by freedom of the press is the essence of democracy. John Buell wants more of this, while FitzGerald suggests it’s enough for Congress to have the inside information. If you trust Congress to protect the health and safety of Americans and innocent foreigners, maybe you’ll agree with FitzGerald. I don’t. Karl K. Norton Bangor