Yesterday was a big day for me. It was “publication day.”  This is the day my book was officially published.  The book has already had an active life on the Internet over the last many weeks and there has been much interest in it.  Nonetheless, the official “publication day” is a big day in the life of the author.

The feedback I’ve had on the book has been excellent.  Many who have read it called me to say that it is a page turner and have read at least half the book in a couple of days.  Lorin Stein, the editor of the Paris Review, for example, called to say, “It was just a great read.”

I’ve intentionally written a book for regular readers who may not be lawyers, so they can enjoy the thrill of an exciting drama that happens to take place in courtrooms.

At the same time, I believe that if any such reader wishes to take the time to think about the lessons of this dramatic tale, they are free to do so.  And finally if scholars wish to plow through the 40 pages of footnotes, they will see that my view of the history of the Pentagon Papers case is unique.

For those who have taken the time to think about the case, they will realize the claims the government made of damage to national security simply won’t hold up in the light of history.  The question that should come to mind at that point would be, why does the government have so much paranoia about keeping everything secret?

The answer may be that the government cannot rationally distinguish secret information from that which is only confidential.  Consequently it classifies information “secret” which should not be “secret” at all.

All of the above is particularly relevant today to Obama’s multi-faceted efforts to keep information secret and to prosecute those who have leaked it.  One wonders whether Obama has learned anything from the Pentagon Papers case.

Additionally, Obama seeks to indict Julian Assange.  He empanelled a grand jury in December 2010 to do this.  I have written this book in part as a clarion call to all, and particularly to journalists, to ensure that a prosecution, initiated by such grand jury does not go forward.  The grand jury has been quiet for a long time.  But the best we can tell, it is still active and my hope is that this book will help to extinguish it.

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