State of Silence: The Espionage Act and the Rise of America's Secrecy Regime

Lebovic, Sam

ISBN 10: 154162016X / ISBN 13: 9781541620162

Published by Basic Books, 2023

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Synopsis:

An "essential guide" (Beverly Gage, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of G-Man) to how the Espionage Act gave rise to a vast American security state that keeps citizens in the dark

In State of Silence, political historian Sam Lebovic uncovers the troubling history of the Espionage Act. First passed in 1917, it was initially used to punish critics of World War I. Yet as Americans began to balk at the act's restrictions on political dissidents and the press, the government turned its focus toward keeping its secrets under wraps. The resulting system for classifying information is absurdly cautious, staggeringly costly, and shrouded in secrecy, preventing ordinary Americans from learning what their country is doing in their name, both at home and abroad.

Shedding new light on the bloated governmental security apparatus that's weighing our democracy down, State of Silence offers the definitive history of America's turn toward secrecy--and its staggering human costs.

About the Author:

Sam Lebovic is a professor in the department of history and art history at George Mason University. He is the author of the award-winning Free Speech and Unfree News and A Righteous Smokescreen. His work has appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Boston Globe, Washington Post, and more. He lives in Washington, DC. 

Bibliographic Details

Title: State of Silence: The Espionage Act and the ...
Publisher: Basic Books
Publication Date: 2023
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: new