Kim Philby on Truth in Diplomatic Cables


As confidential U.S. diplomatic documents continue to enter the public domain, it is worth remembering that not everything that is written down in a government document, even (or especially) in a classified document, is necessarily true. “Truth telling” involves a bit more than trafficking in official records. Any historian or archival researcher knows that. So did the Soviet agent Kim Philby, who addressed the issue in his 1968 book “My Silent War” (p. 255):

“It is difficult, though by no means impossible, for a journalist to obtain access to original documents. But these are often a snare and a delusion. Just because a document is a document, it has a glamour which tempts the reader to give it more weight than it deserves. This document from the United States Embassy in Amman, for example. Is it a first draft, a second draft or the finished memorandum? Was it written by an official of standing, or by some dogsbody with a bright idea? Was it written with serious intent or just to enhance the writer’s reputation? Even if it is unmistakably a direct instruction to the United States Ambassador from the Secretary of State dated last Tuesday, is it still valid today? In short, documentary intelligence, to be really valuable, must come as a steady stream, embellished with an awful lot of explanatory annotation. An hour’s serious discussion with a trustworthy informant is often more valuable than any number of original documents.”

“Of course, it is best to have both,” he added.


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For more on the Motuo highway in the Tibetan Autonomous Region, we now crossover to our reporter Yin Xiang, who's in Motuo. Hello, Yin Xiang.


Progress on tunnel


Q1. Can you brief us the latest progress on the Ga-long-la tunnel?


Q2. You've mentioned about the backup projects, how are these being prepared?


Preparation of backup projects


Thank you, Yin Xiang. That's Yin Xiang reporting from Motuo.


Building Motuo highway's mountain tunnel



For the people of Motuo County in Tibet, the 47-hundred meter-high Galongla Mountain is a formidable barrier to entering or leaving. And it's a massive challenge for the construction workers tunneling from both ends to create a passageway. To meet that challenge, the crew has pact: no see, no leave. CCTV reporter Yin Xiang reports from Motuo County. Full Story>>




Editor:Zhang Jingya |Source: CNTV.CN

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