Daniel Ellsberg: The Effect of Top Secret Clearance
11 hours ago
- #Security Clearances
- #Daniel Ellsberg
- #Henry Kissinger
- Daniel Ellsberg shares a story about advising Henry Kissinger on the psychological effects of receiving high-level security clearances.
- Ellsberg describes three stages of reaction to top-secret information: initial exhilaration, feeling foolish for previous ignorance, and eventually dismissing others without such clearances as uninformed.
- He warns that possessing such clearances can lead to isolation, manipulation of others, and a diminished capacity to learn from those without access to the same information.
- Ellsberg likens the effect of secret information to the mythical potion of Circe, which turned men into swine, unable to communicate or find their way home.
- The conversation highlights the corrosive impact of secrecy on decision-making and the potential for such knowledge to distort one's perception of reality and others' expertise.