Chinanews, November 29, according to comprehensive foreign media reports, recently, former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper is suing the US Department of Defense for not approving the publication of his memoirs.
Earlier, the U.S. Department of Defense told Esper that he needed to remove part of the book about his work under then-President Trump.
According to US media reports, Esper's dispute with the agency occurred during the pre-publication review of the manuscript of his new book.
In accordance with the practice of publishing books by government employees, manuscripts will undergo certain necessary official review, so that state secrets and other protected information will not be made public.
The New York Times first reported on Esper’s lawsuit.
The book Esper intends to publish is called "A Sacred Oath" (A Sacred Oath), and the publication date is set for May 2022.
He positioned it as "the complete and unwhitewashed history of our country, especially in its difficult times."
According to Esper’s lawsuit filed on November 28, beginning in October, a U.S. Department of Defense staff member told Esper that he needed to edit his book.
It is reported that the content requested to be amended includes the words of Trump and others, his dialogue with Trump, and his views on certain countries.
Esper believes that he does not believe that the Department of Defense's proposed editing involves classified information.
He said he contacted the current Secretary of Defense Austin earlier this month, but received no response.
The report quoted Esper’s lawsuit in the District of Columbia Federal Court as saying: “Using confidentiality as an excuse...a lot of content has been removed from publication. The removed content is essential for elaborating the important history of the manuscript.”
According to US media, Trump dismissed Esper through social media shortly after his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.
Several defense sources previously revealed that at the time, Esper’s relationship with Trump was becoming increasingly tense, and Esper prepared a letter of resignation a few weeks ago, trying to get involved in the widely expected dismissal of the president. Exit with dignity".
The Pentagon press secretary said in a statement that he was aware of Esper’s concerns about the memoir.
"As with all such reviews, the Department of Defense earnestly fulfills its obligations and strikes a balance between national security and the author's stated desires. Since this matter is currently in the litigation stage, we will not make further comments."
Previously, the U.S. federal government had blocked the publication of new books by Bolton, the former National Security Affairs Assistant of the President, on the grounds of violating secrecy laws.
Many media claimed that the book disclosed "evidence" that was "unfavorable" to former President Trump.
Bolton’s lawyer once replied, “We do not believe that any part of that information can be reasonably considered confidential.”