How To Interpret Media Leaks Regarding The Ukraine Offensive
When I joined the CIA in September of 1985 it was my first exposure to classified information. Initially, I believed that the classification system was designed to prevent the public from knowing the “real truth” about what was happening in the world. In the months that followed I discovered that Top Secret, Special Compartmented Intelligence, appeared routinely on the front pages of the Washington Post and the New York Times.
What was the difference between leaked intelligence and the intel reports that did not appear in the press? It boiled down to something pretty simple — if there was disagreement over a particular policy, such as placing nuclear missiles in Europe, that intelligence leaked. Conversely, if there was consensus over a policy or program that information rarely leaked.
