[FPSPACE] Another Spy Trial: Igor Sutyagin - Is it a serious crisis already ?

[Dwayne Allen Day]

On Wed, 27 Dec 2000, Phillip Clark wrote:

> This is not something which only happens in Russia.
> About 20 years or so ago a UK writer on intelligence matters - Duncan
> Campbell - was prosecuted over here for some material which he
> gathered.   He had brought together various items of non-classified
> information, realised the implication - which was classified over here -
> and when he tried to publish (or maybe did publish, my momory is not
> perfect) he was prosecuted for distributing classified information !
> Same basic story, both in supposedly democratic countries.

I think this is slightly incorrect.  I believe that Campbell was precluded
from publishing.  But he was not prosecuted.  Britain has an "Offical
Secrets Act" which gives the government broad powers to prevent the
publication of information that it deems classified.

The United States does not have such an act.  Clinton vetoed an attempt to
pass such a bill about 6 weeks ago.



DDAY