HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574.jpg
1.71 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
4
Organizations
4
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
4
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Book excerpt / legal discovery production
File Size:
1.71 MB
Summary
This document appears to be page 86 from the book 'How America Lost Its Secrets' (likely authored by Edward Jay Epstein, given the footer filename 'Epst_'), produced as part of a House Oversight investigation. The text details the interactions between journalist Glenn Greenwald and Guardian editor Janine Gibson regarding the Edward Snowden NSA leaks. It covers Gibson's reluctance to publish Snowden's manifesto (comparing it to the Unabomber's), her authorization of Greenwald's trip to Hong Kong, and the assignment of veteran journalist Ewen MacAskill to accompany him.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Greenwald | Journalist/Lawyer |
Seeking authorization to publish NSA documents and travel to Hong Kong; met with Gibson in NY.
|
| Janine Gibson | Editor (The Guardian) |
Authorized Greenwald's trip to Hong Kong; expressed concerns about Snowden's manifesto.
|
| Edward Snowden | Source (Citizen Four) |
Provided NSA documents; demanded publication of a manifesto; quoted regarding the Constitution and cryptography.
|
| Ewen MacAskill | Journalist (The Guardian) |
Scottish-born veteran journalist assigned to accompany Greenwald to Hong Kong to evaluate bona fides.
|
| Ted Kaczynski | The Unabomber |
Referenced by Gibson to compare the tone of Snowden's manifesto.
|
| Thomas Jefferson | Former US President |
Paraphrased by Snowden regarding binding men from mischief.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| The Guardian |
Newspaper considering publishing the NSA documents.
|
|
| NSA |
National Security Agency; source of the stolen documents.
|
|
| WikiLeaks |
Mentioned as a comparison for the impact of the NSA documents.
|
|
| House Oversight Committee |
Entity listed in the footer stamp (HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574).
|
Timeline (2 events)
May 30
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Departure point for Greenwald.
|
|
|
Meeting location for Greenwald and Gibson on May 30.
|
|
|
Destination for the reporting trip.
|
|
|
Location where MacAskill was bureau chief.
|
Relationships (2)
Greenwald assumed Gibson would authorize publication; they met to discuss it.
Gibson had confidence in MacAskill and assigned him to go with Greenwald.
Key Quotes (4)
"a bit Ted Kaczynski-ish"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574.jpg
Quote #1
"It is going to sound crazy to some people."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574.jpg
Quote #2
"Even the Constitution is subverted when the appetites of power demand it"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574.jpg
Quote #3
"Let us speak no more of faith in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of cryptography."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574.jpg
Quote #4
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,491 characters)
86 | HOW AMERICA LOST ITS SECRETS
from Citizen Four were another matter. They contained the sort of
SCI communications intelligence data that no major newspaper had
ever published before. Their disclosure might result in journalists’
being imprisoned, because both British law and U.S. law criminal-
ized the disclosure by anyone of communications intelligence. As a
lawyer, Greenwald recognized this danger. On the other hand, the
NSA documents were far more explosive than the WikiLeaks mate-
rial and promised an even greater spike in circulation. So Greenwald
assumed that Gibson would be willing to authorize their publication
and provide the expenses for his trip to Hong Kong.
SCI communications intelligence data that no major newspaper had
ever published before. Their disclosure might result in journalists’
being imprisoned, because both British law and U.S. law criminal-
ized the disclosure by anyone of communications intelligence. As a
lawyer, Greenwald recognized this danger. On the other hand, the
NSA documents were far more explosive than the WikiLeaks mate-
rial and promised an even greater spike in circulation. So Greenwald
assumed that Gibson would be willing to authorize their publication
and provide the expenses for his trip to Hong Kong.
He flew from Rio to New York on May 30 to meet in person
with Gibson, who had concerns about publishing what were pur-
ported to be top secret documents that came from an anonymous
source. She was certainly not willing to go along with Citizen Four’s
demand that The Guardian publish his personal manifesto alongside
the documents. Aside from its shrill and alarming tone, it sounded,
as she told Greenwald, “a bit Ted Kaczynski-ish,” referring to the
mathematician known as the Unabomber who had maimed or killed
twenty-six people with anonymous mail bombs between 1978 and
1995. Kaczynski had also demanded that newspapers publish his
personal manifesto. Gibson explained to Greenwald, “It is going to
sound crazy to some people.” Her concern was that it would detract
from the credibility of the rest of the story. Snowden had also writ-
ten to Greenwald to explain his position. “Even the Constitution is
subverted when the appetites of power demand it,” Snowden said.
Paraphrasing President Thomas Jefferson, he continued, “Let us
speak no more of faith in man, but bind him down from mischief by
the chains of cryptography.” Snowden, showing his cultlike faith in
encryption, substituted “cryptography” for Jefferson’s word “con-
stitution.” Gibson was unmoved. The stolen NSA documents were
another matter. They were an enormous scoop that could have a
greater impact than the WikiLeaks scoop.
with Gibson, who had concerns about publishing what were pur-
ported to be top secret documents that came from an anonymous
source. She was certainly not willing to go along with Citizen Four’s
demand that The Guardian publish his personal manifesto alongside
the documents. Aside from its shrill and alarming tone, it sounded,
as she told Greenwald, “a bit Ted Kaczynski-ish,” referring to the
mathematician known as the Unabomber who had maimed or killed
twenty-six people with anonymous mail bombs between 1978 and
1995. Kaczynski had also demanded that newspapers publish his
personal manifesto. Gibson explained to Greenwald, “It is going to
sound crazy to some people.” Her concern was that it would detract
from the credibility of the rest of the story. Snowden had also writ-
ten to Greenwald to explain his position. “Even the Constitution is
subverted when the appetites of power demand it,” Snowden said.
Paraphrasing President Thomas Jefferson, he continued, “Let us
speak no more of faith in man, but bind him down from mischief by
the chains of cryptography.” Snowden, showing his cultlike faith in
encryption, substituted “cryptography” for Jefferson’s word “con-
stitution.” Gibson was unmoved. The stolen NSA documents were
another matter. They were an enormous scoop that could have a
greater impact than the WikiLeaks scoop.
Gibson authorized Greenwald’s trip to Hong Kong on the con-
dition that he take with him a Guardian staffer in whom she had
confidence, the Scottish-born Ewen MacAskill, a sixty-one-year-old
veteran journalist who had been the Washington bureau chief for
The Guardian. His assignment was to evaluate the bona fides of the
dition that he take with him a Guardian staffer in whom she had
confidence, the Scottish-born Ewen MacAskill, a sixty-one-year-old
veteran journalist who had been the Washington bureau chief for
The Guardian. His assignment was to evaluate the bona fides of the
Epst_9780451494566_2p_all_r1.z.indd 86 9/29/16 5:51 PM
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019574
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