Posted on 09/10/2010 7:41:49 AM PDT by STARWISE
The Defense Department is attempting to buy the entire first printing - 10,000 copies - of a memoir by a controversial former Defense Intelligence Agency officer so that the book can be destroyed, according to military and other sources.
"Operation Dark Heart," which was scheduled to be published this month by St. Martin's Press, recounts the adventures and frustrations of an Army reservist, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, who served in Afghanistan in 2003, a moment when the attention of Washington and the military had shifted to Iraq.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I missed that..you need to keep pinging me if anything new comes up, GF!
(I’m building a retaining wall outside. Checking FR on the run.)
STARWISE, could you add sissyjane to your list, please?
TIA
:)
If that's true, and the publisher has already cut a deal with DoD for a sanitized version for use in subsequent printings without Shaffer's ok, Shaffer might have a cause of action. The very fact that DoD cut this deal tells me he played by the rules, had the manuscript vetted and Ok'd by DoD, then a new administration pulls the rug out from under him. Otherwise they'd shut him down and say, "tough."
As the copyright holder, he's given the publisher the right to copy and sell a specific work. Significant alteration would be a derivative. Unless he had an idiot attorney and agent, he likely wouldn't have granted use of the copyright in such blanket fashion.
A sanitized version would have virtually no market. The actions taken after the fact by a different administration in concert with the publisher effectively interferes with Shaffer's right to make a living. They will have devalued what is obviously a hot product to worthlessness. Additionally, it's likely that the DoD is getting significant discount off cover price, as do all bulk sales. Since royalties are usually figured off the actual price paid, Shaffer is probably getting shafted to the tune of 60% off what he'd reasonably be expected to have gotten. With a new, worthless, sanitized version, he has no way of selling through his advance and earning any royalties above the advance he got at signing.
Will do!
Do you hire out? :D
Did you try alibris?
None available.
They continue to pop up on ebay.
Shep just said on FOX “their buying only 10,000????” And implied a lot more would be sold because they’re bringing attention to the book.
http://us.macmillan.com/operationdarkheart
(excerpt)
On Friday, August 13, 2010, just as St. Martin’s Press was readying its initial shipment of this book, the Department of Defense contacted us to express its concern that our publication ofOperation Dark Heart could cause damage to U.S. national security. After consulting with our author, we agreed to incorporate some of the government’s changes into a revised edition of his book while redacting other text he was told was classified. The newly revised book keeps our national interests secure, but this highly qualified warrior’s story is still intact. Shaffer’s assessment of successes and failures in Afghanistan remains dramatic, shocking, and crucial reading for anyone concerned about the outcome of the war.
“While I do not agree with the edits in many ways, the DoD redactions enhance the reader’s understanding by drawing attention to the flawed results created by a disorganized and heavy handed military intelligence bureaucracy.” —Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer
Just a matter of time before the redacted material will be out there....and super slooths will post it on FR for all to see. ;~)
Pentagon aims to buy up book (LTC Anthony Shaffer - Able Danger)
Destroying books... wait... isn't that un-American, idiotic, disgraceful, provocative, intolerant...??
Won't destroying this book ignite the Middle East... what say you General Petraeus ?!
Oh, the irony...
maybe it will be available thru kindle.
That's such a burn...
Freaking Unreal....pinging the world.
More here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2586871/posts
(with letter from DIA)
Thanks for the ping.
We all know how that turned out.
“U) The objective of ABLE DANGER, as is in the 27 Jun 2005 congressional record, was simple: to go after Al Qaeda.
(U) This was no “experiment” or simply “a planning exercise” as has been portrayed by some in the media and at the Pentagon. And my role was not simply a ‘courtier’ of information as has been inaccurately portrayed by a Pentagon spokesman in the summer of last year.
(U) The story I will present to you today is how, despite all the project had going for it, the operation failed. This bold and audacious operation, with this critical focus was recently opined by the 9-11 commission to be “not historically relevant”…
We hope to show you the truth of how relevant and important this effort was – and how it will rewrite the history of 9-11.”
http://www.abledangerblog.com/2006/02/lt-col-shaffers-written-testimony.html
Thanks .. ;)
The ones I saw where described as “edited”
Let’s just wait until there’s actual confirmation
of any potential violation or not .. shall we?
Unless we have some axe to grind ...
~ ~ ~
“Burgess demanded that the favorable review given by the Army Reserve be revoked and the manuscript be resubmitted.
By then though, the book had already been printed but not distributed, Zaid said.
Review copies of the book had gone out, and some had turned up for sale on the Internet.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon, the publisher, and Shaffer have been negotiating changes in a new edition of the book.
“Some of the changes that were negotiated were perfectly acceptable but others we agreed to disagree and they will be in the book as redacted text,” Zaid said in an email. “We have the option, but have not yet decided, to sue the government to challenge the redactions.”
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100910/pl_afp/usafghanistanmilitaryintelligencebook_20100910211647
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.