Page "Espionage Act of 1917" Paragraph 53

The Reagan administration, as part of a wider campaign against leaks of information, used the prosecution of Morison as a " test case " for applying the Act to cover the disclosure of information to the press.

A March 1984 government report had noted that " the unauthorized publication of classified information is a routine daily occurrence in the U. S ." but that the applicability of the Espionage Act to such disclosures " is not entirely clear ".

Time said that the administration, if it failed to convict Morison, would seek additional legislation and described the ongoing conflict: " The Government does need to protect military secrets, the public does need information to judge defense policies, and the line between the two is surpassingly difficult to draw.