WikiLeaks and State Secrets

Available for over a year

Jonathan Freedland with the history series which finds the past behind the present and explores a moment in history which throws light on a contemporary debate. At the Battle of Naseby in 1645, the King's enemies captured carriages containing his private papers. Brought to London for decoding and publication, the documents laid bare the King's secret negotiations with foreign armies, revelations that were immensely damaging to the Royalist cause. In the era of WikiLeaks, cyber attacks, phone-hacking and calls for ever-greater transparency, Jonathan and his guests compare seventeenth and twenty-first century attitudes towards state secrets and freedom of information. Contributing to the programme are: Jonathan Powell, former Chief of Staff to Tony Blair John Kampfner, journalist and Chief Executive of Index on Censorship Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Elizabeth Quintana, Head of Airpower and Technology Programme at the Royal United Services Institute Tim McInnerny, actor Producer: Julia Johnson.