Spy memoirs

[Alan Simpson]

Not only can under the Official Secrets Act, but under "Crown Copyright".
Even some News Releases come with "Crown Copyright Reserved", and
technically I was informed a few weeks ago, you need permission to copy or
print legislation from Parliament, WWII photographs and released documents,
and other "official material". At least the CIA files become public domain,
and the taxpayers can freely write books, criticize or report on them.

Most try and ignore the charade, but if HMG releases transcripts from
Bletchley Park, and have them on sale in their bookshops, they may still
forbid you to refer to them in your upcoming book.

Nigel West's experiences are not the normal. His deserved reputation, and
closeness to the establishment has provided him with extra ordinary leeway.
His success has perhaps made him a little too tolerant of the excesses. To
misquote the Bard, "There is something rotten in the Kingdom of
Saxe-Cobourg-Gotta".

Gilbert and Sullivan would have been so proud to see nothing has changed in
a hundred years!

Alan (not in line for OBE) Simpson
news at wbrief.com

>
> Laughing out loud.  The Queen can classify anything any
> cattle^H^H^H^H^Hcitizen says, under the Official Secrets Act.  The US
> cannot, unless you've signed a contract (e.g., a trade-secret NDA, or
> spookier version).



Intelligence Forum (http://www.intelforum.org) is sponsored by Intelligence
and National Security, a Frank Cass journal (http://www.frankcass.com/jnls/ins.htm)