There were real risks in doing this. Opening a top secret video teleconference to a wide community exposed us to potential leaks—after all, the information we were discussing was secret for a reason. Also, broadcasting unfiltered accounts of our successes and failures risked misinterpretation of complex, in-process endeavors or statements being taken out of context. But I had no interest in, and we had no time for, painting a rosy picture of what was in reality a hellish scene. Anyone who wanted to beat us at a game of bureaucratic politics would have all the ammunition they needed, but that
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