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http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=16553

Rumsfeld urges crackdown on leaks to press

By The Associated Press

07.17.02

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WASHINGTON — Pentagon leaks of military secrets to news organizations are hurting the war on terrorism and endangering American lives, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told senior officials.

In a July 12 internal memo, Rumsfeld lamented a "damaging lack of professionalism we continue to see on a daily basis," referring to a willingness of some defense officials to provide classified information to reporters.

"It is wrong. It is against the law," Rumsfeld wrote. "It costs the lives of Americans. It diminishes our country's chance for success."

Rumsfeld has spoken out publicly many times against disclosures of classified information, often noting that leakers, if caught, face jail terms. His campaign against leaks has created an atmosphere of fear among some officials who deal with reporters, although it has not stopped leaks.

Rumsfeld's worries are shared by others in the Bush administration, which has acted recently to crack down. Security officers at the State Department, for example, stopped and questioned a reporter last week who said during a news conference that he had possession of a classified document. He was released and is not under investigation.