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1.67 MB
Extraction Summary
3
People
6
Organizations
2
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book page / congressional exhibit
File Size:
1.67 MB
Summary
This document is page 40 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (indicated by the ISBN in the footer), authored by Edward Jay Epstein. It details Edward Snowden's ideological alignment with Libertarian Ron Paul, his disillusionment with the CIA and NSA, and his rationale for leaking government secrets. The page bears a 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT' Bates stamp, suggesting it was used as an exhibit in a Congressional investigation.
People (3)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Edward Snowden | Subject/Government Contractor |
Described as a Libertarian who viewed the government as an adversary and leaked NSA secrets.
|
| Ron Paul | Politician/Influence |
Political figure whose views on government surveillance Snowden shared.
|
| Lindsay Mills | Associate/Partner |
Mentioned as opposing gun control and joining Snowden.
|
Organizations (6)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| NSA |
National Security Agency, where Snowden worked.
|
|
| CIA |
Central Intelligence Agency, from which Snowden was ousted.
|
|
| U.S. Army |
Specifically Special Forces; Snowden felt mistreated by them.
|
|
| The Guardian |
Newspaper Snowden spoke to regarding his disillusionment.
|
|
| Wired magazine |
Publication Snowden spoke to in Moscow.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Implied by the Bates stamp 'HOUSE_OVERSIGHT'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
2007
Snowden learns about CIA methods compromising Swiss citizens, beginning his disillusionment.
Unknown
2012
Snowden used system administrator privileges to read the NSA inspector general's report on a 2009 surveillance program.
NSA
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Location where Snowden spoke to a Wired journalist.
|
|
|
Implied by mention of 'Swiss citizens' compromised by CIA.
|
Relationships (2)
Snowden wholeheartedly agreed with Paul's position on the dangers inherent in government surveillance.
Mills joined him... Like Paul, Snowden ardently opposed any form of gun control, as did Lindsay Mills
Key Quotes (5)
"When you have too much it can be fatal."Source
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Quote #1
"The [American] government... assumed upon itself, in secret, new executive powers without any public awareness or any public consent"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019528.jpg
Quote #2
"fear and a false image of patriotism"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019528.jpg
Quote #3
"grossly incompetent"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019528.jpg
Quote #4
"making a ton of money"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019528.jpg
Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,484 characters)
40 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
cine," he said. "When you have too much it can be fatal." Like Paul,
Snowden ardently opposed any form of gun control, as did Lindsay
Mills in her online postings.
Like other Libertarians, Snowden, a contractor for the government,
saw the government as an adversary. "The [American] government,"
he later said, "assumed upon itself, in secret, new executive powers
without any public awareness or any public consent and used them
against the citizenry of its own country to increase its own power,
to increase its own awareness." Most relevant to his future activities
at the NSA, Snowden wholeheartedly agreed with Paul's position
on the dangers inherent in government surveillance of U.S. citizens.
Paul described the CIA, the organization that had forced Snowden
out, as nothing short of a "secret government" and said that "in a
true Republic, there is no place for an organization like the CIA." He
also railed against NSA surveillance.
As is clear from Snowden's Internet postings, he, like Ron Paul,
had doubts about the competence of the intelligence agencies of the
U.S. government. Snowden's own disillusionment about the govern-
ment might have begun with his rejection and perceived mistreat-
ment by the Special Forces of the U.S. Army. It was almost certainly
reinforced by his ouster from the CIA. He later told The Guardian
that he was disillusioned as early as 2007 when he learned about the
CIA's methods in compromising Swiss citizens. His critical view of
the U.S. government only hardened during the years he worked at
the NSA. He described his NSA superiors as "grossly incompetent,"
as he later explained to a journalist from Wired magazine in Mos-
cow. At the NSA, he said employees were kept in line by "fear and
a false image of patriotism." He said that he saw his fellow workers
cowed into "obedience to authority" and his superiors induced to
break the law. He became particularly concerned with what he called
the "secret powers" of the NSA. He saw them as "tremendously
dangerous." By this time, Snowden was fully aware that the NSA
conducted domestic surveillance because he had used his privileges
as a system administrator in 2012 to read the NSA inspector gen-
eral's report on a 2009 surveillance program.
Nevertheless, Snowden continued to work at the NSA, where he
was, as he put it, "making a ton of money." Mills joined him in his
Snowden ardently opposed any form of gun control, as did Lindsay
Mills in her online postings.
Like other Libertarians, Snowden, a contractor for the government,
saw the government as an adversary. "The [American] government,"
he later said, "assumed upon itself, in secret, new executive powers
without any public awareness or any public consent and used them
against the citizenry of its own country to increase its own power,
to increase its own awareness." Most relevant to his future activities
at the NSA, Snowden wholeheartedly agreed with Paul's position
on the dangers inherent in government surveillance of U.S. citizens.
Paul described the CIA, the organization that had forced Snowden
out, as nothing short of a "secret government" and said that "in a
true Republic, there is no place for an organization like the CIA." He
also railed against NSA surveillance.
As is clear from Snowden's Internet postings, he, like Ron Paul,
had doubts about the competence of the intelligence agencies of the
U.S. government. Snowden's own disillusionment about the govern-
ment might have begun with his rejection and perceived mistreat-
ment by the Special Forces of the U.S. Army. It was almost certainly
reinforced by his ouster from the CIA. He later told The Guardian
that he was disillusioned as early as 2007 when he learned about the
CIA's methods in compromising Swiss citizens. His critical view of
the U.S. government only hardened during the years he worked at
the NSA. He described his NSA superiors as "grossly incompetent,"
as he later explained to a journalist from Wired magazine in Mos-
cow. At the NSA, he said employees were kept in line by "fear and
a false image of patriotism." He said that he saw his fellow workers
cowed into "obedience to authority" and his superiors induced to
break the law. He became particularly concerned with what he called
the "secret powers" of the NSA. He saw them as "tremendously
dangerous." By this time, Snowden was fully aware that the NSA
conducted domestic surveillance because he had used his privileges
as a system administrator in 2012 to read the NSA inspector gen-
eral's report on a 2009 surveillance program.
Nevertheless, Snowden continued to work at the NSA, where he
was, as he put it, "making a ton of money." Mills joined him in his
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