How Presidents Wield Secrecy
Mary Graham explains how each president’s approach to transparency is largely determined by his personal character
“It’s impossible to stop a president who wants to use secrecy to do something against the rules.”
— Mary Graham
Mary Graham, Co-Director of the Transparency Policy Project at the Kennedy School’s Ash Center, discusses her book Presidents’ Secrets: The Use and Abuse of Hidden Power, which traces the evolution of secrecy in the executive branch beginning with George Washington’s remarkably open administration, through the communist scares of the 20th century, all the way to the Obama and Trump administrations and the implications of modern information technology.
Graham illustrates how each president’s personal character was reflected in the decisions they made on what and how they shared information with the public.
HKS PolicyCast is the official podcast of Harvard Kennedy School, featuring weekly interviews with scholars and leading practitioners in public policy, leadership, and international affairs. It is hosted by filmmaker, writer, and policy wonk Matt Cadwallader.
