Gwen Graham: “I will be using some of the material from that book in my comments this afternoon as I rise to speak in favor of the…”

“I will be using some of the material from that book in my comments this afternoon as I rise to speak in favor of the amendment which addresses our Government's dangerous tendency toward excessive secrets. From the very beginning of our Nation, the American people have been concerned with the Government's attempts, almost an irresistible attempt by any government, to hide or to fail to disclose issues that properly should be available to the public. President John F. Kennedy said in his first year as President: The very word "secrecy" is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and to secret proceedings . . . We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it. In a free, open, democratic society, we must always begin with the belief that the people should have access to all of the information which the Government holds on their behalf.”