Wikileaks

Definitely Laumer.I started reading his Retief satires in the mid 60s, and they contributed to my teenage wasteland. Laumer served in both the Air Force and the Foreign Service, so he knew of what he wrote when he introduced a galactic diplomat who recognized the bright side to a government whose decisions were often strangled by bureaucratic indifference and inertia--usually in a way, under the deft hand of Retief, that, if not making the galaxy a better place, at least left it limping along a while longer.Clearly, Assange's enemies prefer to discredit Assange--I don't expect an assassin's bullet or suspicious accident. I do expect another seamy, discrediting accusation to be leveled against Assange and/or Wikileaks soon.I suspect that what bothers governments most about Wikileaks is that every successful release of secret material recruits more Wikileakers.If sufficient numbers of people decide unsavory (to them) secrets should be outed, governments will fall.

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I know there's a balance, I see it when I swing past.
-J. Mellencamp

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Real things always push back.
-William James

I had to look it up--Herbert published the first novelette introducing the Bureau of Sabotage in 1964; Laumer published the first collection of Retief stories in 1963. I assume at least some of the Laumer stories were previously published in magazines, so Laumer seems to win by calendar calculations.Still, distrust of government was burgeoning in the early sixties, with "revolution in the air". It's hard to tell who had the "benefit of red tape" insight first, especially since writers tends to spill all their best ideas after a few pints.Yes, I agree with the rest of your post. All secrecy and no privacy is the flip side of privatized market gains and socialized losses.But our government isn't for sale. It was purchased long ago to barely a whimper of protest. It will remain in private hands until we take it back.At 59, I am increasingly doubtful I will see that day.

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I know there's a balance, I see it when I swing past.
-J. Mellencamp

​

Real things always push back.
-William James