In the book "All the President's Men," about the unraveling of the Watergate scandal, a Washington Post reporter describes meeting "Deep Throat," his principal source, clandestinely in a dark underground parking garage, a bit of spy craft that a judge in another leak case thought unnecessarily melodramatic.
Melodramatic maybe, but Deep Throat's identity -- then-top FBI official Mark Felt -- remained secret for more than 30 years, until only a few years before his death, in 2008, at age 95.
Leaks, the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information, are a way of life in Washington and have been since the founding of the republic. Everybody does it -- the White House, the Cabinet agencies, the military, members of Congress. Perhaps, especially, members of Congress.
Leaks are done for a wide variety of motives -- a trial balloon to gauge possible reaction to a policy change; to embarrass a political opponent; to head off an impending initiative that the leaker opposes; and sometimes simply as part of the regular interaction between reporters and the people they cover.
Most administrations selectively try to plug leaks and identify leakers, but these efforts tend to be pursued haphazardly and without great enthusiasm because the government classifies way too much information, most of it innocuous.
Government officials resist disclosure, not because it will bring aid and comfort to our enemies, but because the information would be awkward or embarrassing if made public.
Still, the battles over disclosures go on. And those, particularly on the right, who think the relationship between the Obama administration and the news media is too lovey-dovey might want to contemplate the following: According to Adam Liptak of The New York Times, the Obama administration "has brought more prosecutions against current or former government officials for providing classified information to the media than every previous administration combined."
Traditionally, the government's weapon was the subpoena, the issuance of which must meet stiff Justice Department criteria. But technology has tipped the balance of power in the government's favor through sophisticated surveillance -- of emails, hard drives, cellphones, wireless devices, credit cards and omnipresent security cameras.
Liptak reports that a national-security official told Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, that the pending subpoena of Times reporter James Risen "is one of the last you'll see."
Former Justice Department official Mark Corallo tells government officials, "You have to meet a reporter face to face, hand him an envelope and walk away quickly."
And do it in a dark underground parking garage. Under a code name. And out of sight of the security cameras.
-- Scripps Howard News Service
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