Certainly the seizure/occupation of forts in Confederate territory was no secret. The great majority of these passed under Confederate control with no clash of arms. At the same time, Confederates relinquished their interests in northern US forts which had been paid for in part with Southern monies, but by their locations should properly have remained under Northern rule.
Stealing federal property? Perhaps it was a form of popular eminent domain by the states involved, LOL. South Carolina offered to negotiate for the forts they took over. Texas was careful at the time to document what had been taken over by state forces.
Threatening unionists? Yes, that happened in places and was typically the action of individuals or groups of local people. Sort of like the mobs up North that had prevented people from recovering fugitive slaves and on occasion killed the people claiming the slaves?
It's the kind of boilerplate that politicians use to conceal what's really going on.
What secret conspiracy is it that you see? Tell us what you think was really going on.
I don’t see any “secret conspiracy.” I just don’t think politicians and bureaucrats are to be taken at their word. They will always give you a lawyerly phrase that minimizes their own liability. There doesn’t have to be a secret agenda behind it, but the phrases they use shouldn’t simply be trusted. Haven’t we already learned how much governments justify under “national defense” and other high-sounding rubrics?
Do you think Bush or his successor would simply say "Please, take all you want"?