Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Historical Amnesia: British And U.S. Intelligence, Past And Present, Calder Walton
Historical Amnesia: British And U.S. Intelligence, Past And Present, Calder Walton
Secrecy and Society
Many intelligence scandals in the news today seem unprecedented - from Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, to British and U.S. intelligence agencies monitoring activities of their citizens. They seem new largely because, traditionally, intelligence agencies on both sides of the Atlantic were excessively secretive about their past activities: even the names “GCHQ” and “NSA” were airbrushed from declassified records, and thus missing from major historical works and scholarship on on post-war international relations. The resulting secrecy about British and U.S. intelligence has led to misunderstandings and conspiracy theories in societies about them. Newly opened secret records now …