The tunnel is important and was protected, but it was protected by its obscurity. Like all "security by obscurity," once the secret is known, it is no longer s

The tunnel is important and was protected, but it was protected by its obscurity. Like all "security by obscurity," once the secret is known, it is no longer secure and thus is at risk of desecration. Pierre Malinowski put the government in a bind because he broke their previous zero cost security (via obscurity) and now they have to either secure it at a significant cost and effort or end up complicit in its desecration.