Comment & Debate
The White House: “such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government.”[1]
Cameron Munter, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan. “Wikileaks – the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship.” US Embassy in Pakistan. November 29th, 2010: “The owners of the WikiLeaks website claim to possess some 250,000 classified documents, many of which have been released to the media. Whatever their motives are in publishing these documents, it is clear that releasing them poses real risks to real people, and often to particular people who have dedicated their lives to protecting others. An act intended to provoke the powerful may instead imperil the powerless. We support and are willing to have genuine debates about pressing questions of public policy. But releasing documents carelessly and without regard for the consequences is not the way to start such a debate.”
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: “such disclosures put at risk our diplomats, intelligence professionals, and people around the world who come to the United States for assistance in promoting democracy and open government.”[2]
“WikiLeaks’ posting of diplomatic cables does more harm than good.” TDN.com. December 6th, 2010: “If not criminal, WikiLeaks’ action was irresponsible to the extreme. But that’s in line with many of the organization’s previous postings. New York Times columnist David Brooks observes in a recent column that WikiLeaks has published the Social Security numbers of U.S. soldiers. The organization also has published details about a device the U.S. Army developed to help neutralize roadside bombs. That’s the sort of information that, if made public, can get people killed. Former President Bill Clinton believes the publication of these sensitive diplomatic documents also could have tragic consequences. In a speech last week at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., Clinton said, “I’ll be very surprised if some people don’t lose their lives. And goodness knows how many will lose their careers.”