THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN: - A
Cautionary Tail for Would Be Whistle Blowers
Cold War Cinema: May 17, 2011
plausible deniability - (first use 1973) reasonable denial of blame in a
chain of command, to keep blame at as low a level as
possible should facts become public.
Have you
ever had good reason to divulge a confidence, or been tempted to do so? Can
whistle blowing ever be justified? What level of immunity from public scrutiny
should democratically elected governments enjoy?
Private Bradley Manning
(U.S.)
is facing numerous charges for leaking sensitive government information that
was later made public by the website WikiLeaks. If Manning did provide the
leaks, was he simply a whistle blower attempting to inform fellow citizens of
the deeds of their government? Does it matter to whom he provided information?
To whom could he have gone if he was concerned about his government’s
activities?
Julian Assange, the Australian
computer expert behind WikiLeaks, has legal problems also. It is believed he got
information from Manning. Was Assange simply a journalist or publisher doing
his job in keeping the public informed?
"The Falcon And The
Snowman" depicts events in the life of U.S. citizen Christopher John Boyce
in the1970s. During the 1970s there was much youth angst with the Vietnam War,
with struggles for equality of gender and race, with the developing drug
culture, with cynicism about government honesty, and with authority in general.
For many people this period was also an era of unlimited possibilities in
science and technology, man had just landed on the moon! It was also a time of
significant fear concerning the potential for a nuclear war that could develop
out of a miscalculation by either of the super powers.
The movie depicts Boyce as
a naive, sometimes frustrated, young man with misplaced idealism when he starts
to provide some low level classified information to the Soviets. At first the
information concerns dirty tricks, such as the removal of elected foreign governments
by U.S.
officials. What the Soviets really want, however, is U.S. military secrets. Events
spiral out of control for Boyce as he becomes trapped in circumstances beyond
simple whistle blowing. If only he had followed the unofficial motto of the
Diefenbunker “Tell No One, Deny Everything”!
The movie may be weak in
plot for some viewers and many may not empathize with the main character.
Indeed, many viewers may wonder that such inept espionage activities as those
depicted could really have happened in the first place, let alone for so long.
Nevertheless, I found the movie
engaging. It is a movie about character(s). I started to think about what
motivates a whistle blower, what options they believe they have, and how events
can unfold in unexpected ways. I also found the movie to be a satire on a society
that could produce citizens such as Boyce, homegrown spies.
I next began to think about societies
in which some members develop into terrorists bent on destroying their fellow
citizens, often directly and through violent means. A spy's impact is usually
less immediate or direct. Are there
characteristics in common between whistle blowers, spies and terrorists.
The Diefenbunker, a once top
secret government facility, is an excellent venue in which to see the movie and
to consider the above ideas. See you there,
Les.
P.S. Yes Virginia, there were spies. Yes, it is
believed that the Diefenbunker's secrets were kept.
P.P.S. Without
doing research, please think about how the following persons may have increased
your awareness of issues that others were trying to hide from you, issues
impacting your safety and / or access to information on government activities:
a. Linda Keen;
b. Allan Cutler;
c. Paul Diaz; and
d. P.J. Crowley?
Hints - Canadian isotope crisis at Chalk
River; Gomery Royal
Commision (sponsorship scandal); nuclear plant safety concerns; and treatment
of jailed former intelligence analyst Bradley Manning that "is ridiculous
and counterproductive and stupid".
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