Should Committee Members Know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_submarines
"Loose Lips, DO Sink Ships"
The primary Japanese anti-sub weapon for most of WWII was the depth charge. During the first part of the war, the Japanese tended to set their depth charges too shallow, and U.S. subs not trapped in shallow waters were frequently able to take advantage of depth gradient temperatures in order to escape from many attacks.
http://www.ww2pacific.com/congmay.html
Unfortunately, the deficiencies of Japanese depth-charge tactics were revealed in a June 1943 press conference held by U.S. CONGRESSMAN Andrew J. May, a member of the HOUSE MILITARY AFFAIRS COMMITTEE who had visited the Pacific theater and received many CONFIDENTIAL INTELLIGENCE and OPERATION BRIEFINGS. At the press conference, May revealed that American submarines had a high survivability because Japanese deth charges were fused to explode at too shallow a depth typically 100 feet (because Japanese forces believed U.S. subs did not normally exceed this depth). Various press associations sent this story over their wires, and many newspapers, including one in Honolulu, thoughtlessly published it. Soon enemy depth charges were rearmed to explode at a more effective depth of 250 feet. Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, commander of the U.S. submarine fleet in the Pacific, later estimated that May's revelation cost the navy as many as ten submarines and 800 crewman.
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000272
Chairman, Committee on Military Affairs (Seventy-sixth through Seventy-ninth Congresses); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1946 to the Eightieth Congress; CONVICTED on July 3, 1947, on charges of accepting BRIBES for his influence in the AWARD of munitions CONTRACTS during the Second World War; served nine months in prison during 1950
"Silent Victory" - Clay Blair. Vol.1 pg 397
"A serious breach of security may have helped the Japanese anti-submarine forces....by a Member of the House Military Affairs Committee.
"Senseless Secrets" - LtCol (ret) Michael Lee Lanning. Pg 82
"INTELLIGENCE FAILURE involved U.S. Congressman Andrew Jackson May, who as a member of the House Military Affairs Committee.......
http://www.newsbuster.com/Pages/content/times-cheney-gave-order-to-conceal-secret-cia-program.html
Cheney’s involvement is further underscored by the the inspector general’s report released on Friday, which shows that the vice president’s office played a central rule in limiting awareness of the National Security Agency’s program of warrantless wiretapping to just a handful of officials. Even then-Attorney General John Ashcroft did not receive an accurate description of one program until two years after he had certified it as legal.
So, back to my question. Should Committee Members Know? We see what can happen when senstivie information is misused.
Recently and currently, we have Representatives, Senators, Govenors, Appointees, etc. who have all been compromised by: $90,000 in the freezer
; federal corruption charges; indictment / resignation for involvement in prostitution ring; conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme; bathroom sting conviction; email page sex scandal; go to Congressional scandals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Congressional_scandals
Cheney was right to limit who knows and Hayden makes it clear people were informed. You have to maintain a balance and what we have now is all this is being used for political mileage to nowhere because of Obama's Veto threat!
All of this equals a "shooter" of "dumb" followed by a "kool-aid chaser" ! ! ! ! !