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There was a cartoon towards the end of WWII (Bugs Bunny?). It was pure propaganda but depicted a bomb powerful enough to destroy an entire island. The creato

There was a cartoon towards the end of WWII (Bugs Bunny?). It was pure propaganda but depicted a bomb powerful enough to destroy an entire island. The creators got a visit from the men in black. Clearly, they were being investigated for possible Manhattan Project leaks. But the investigators wouldn't even have know about nuclear weapons. All they know is that someone put out a film that was eerily similar to something secret. They would simply be told "go find out who they talk to and where they got the idea". Today that would be "grab his computer before he deletes anything". My point: If you make up stories, occasionally they might coincide with reality. The people tasked with protecting secrets cannot tell the difference. The only issue here imho is the violence of the raid, but that is part of the larger problems surrounding all police actions. What in WWII was a polite knock on the door, today is a swat team driving a tank though your living room.

para_parolu 4y ago
This reminds me Umberto Eco’s book “Foucault's Pendulum”.
- jjtheblunt 4y ago
  Wow i havent' thought of that book for 30 years. cool reference!
- Maursault 4y ago
  Both the cartoon and the novel are satirical, but I think you are probably referring to how accurate the cartoon was to how The Plan was first revealed to the protagonists in the novel.
xoxxala 4y ago
Similarly, Tom Clancy was questioned by the FBI after ‘Hunt for Red October’ was released because of the technical details within the book were eerily close to classified info at the time.
- CamperBob2 4y ago
  Same with Kubrick and the planes in Dr. Strangelove, I understand.
- sandworm101 4y ago
  Funny story about the resulting film: The navy so loved the book that the film was given total military support. Access to submarines, b-roll footage ... they hoped it would be TopGun for the rest of the USN. But then came Crimson Tide (1995). Mutiny on a Russian nuclear submarine? Fine. Mutiny on a US nuclear submarine? No.
  - remarkEon 4y ago
    Red October is a great movie. Really a "they don't make 'em like they used to" action flick.
    - phlipski 4y ago
      I'd argue it's not a true action flick - it's really a spy thriller in disguise. Great flick though! "One ping..." Spy Games is another underrated espionage thriller.
      - remarkEon 4y ago
        >a spy thriller in disguise I see what you did there ...
    - bookofjoe 4y ago
      See also: "Das Boot" https://youtu.be/7pzKyeIex2Y https://youtu.be/7pzKyeIex2Y
      - remarkEon 4y ago
        Yes, this one is also great. Every time I watch it, it's like it's somehow aged even better.
is_true 4y ago
Interesting. One could create blog posts with hypothetical military plans/devices from different locations and test which locations get raided. Sort of military a/b testing
- Atheros 4y ago
  A violence-based binary search.
spigottoday 4y ago
Three Days of the Condor
- Maursault 4y ago
  It will happen this way. You may be walking. Maybe the first sunny day of the spring. And a car will slow beside you, and a door will open, and someone you know, maybe even trust, will get out of the car. And he will smile, a becoming smile. But he will leave open the door of the car and offer to give you a lift.
kjellsbells 4y ago
I was going to respond with the story about how British WW2 intelligence were alarmed to find code words for the D-Day operation showing up as answers in a newspaper crossword puzzle, quite coincidentally. But then I read that story again and it was not nearly so coincidental as was reported back in the day when I first heard about it. It's actually an interesting lesson in opsec. The compiler was physically close to soldiers preparing for the operation, and his pupils were filling in the grid with names they were hearing on the streets. So not really coincidental at all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_Daily_Telegraph_crossword_security_alarm?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_Daily_Telegraph_crosswor...
StanislavPetrov 4y ago
>The only issue here imho is the violence of the raid, but that is part of the larger problems surrounding all police actions. It is also an issue that this man's possessions have been seized without due process or any sort of explanation. He has not been indicted, let alone convicted of a crime, yet the government violently broke into his home and stole all of his computers and electronic possessions, including his private, sensitive medical and financial information. The idea that some secret judge can sign some secret warrant and a gang of armed men can break into your home, assault you, and steal your possessions without any recourse available to you should be incredibly chilling to everyone who believes in due process and a free society in general.
- hulitu 4y ago
  > The idea that some secret judge can sign some secret warrant and a gang of armed men can break into your home, assault you, and steal your possessions without any recourse available to you should be incredibly chilling to everyone who believes in due process and a free society in general. Maybe you don't live in a democracy, but in a democracy they call it "collecting evidence". The advantage of this method is that, even if they find nothing about your presumed crime, they might find things which might incriminate you for something else, or just plant evidence.

para_parolu 4y ago

This reminds me Umberto Eco’s book “Foucault's Pendulum”.

jjtheblunt 4y ago
Wow i havent' thought of that book for 30 years. cool reference!
Maursault 4y ago
Both the cartoon and the novel are satirical, but I think you are probably referring to how accurate the cartoon was to how The Plan was first revealed to the protagonists in the novel.

xoxxala 4y ago

Similarly, Tom Clancy was questioned by the FBI after ‘Hunt for Red October’ was released because of the technical details within the book were eerily close to classified info at the time.

CamperBob2 4y ago
Same with Kubrick and the planes in Dr. Strangelove, I understand.
sandworm101 4y ago
Funny story about the resulting film: The navy so loved the book that the film was given total military support. Access to submarines, b-roll footage ... they hoped it would be TopGun for the rest of the USN. But then came Crimson Tide (1995). Mutiny on a Russian nuclear submarine? Fine. Mutiny on a US nuclear submarine? No.
- remarkEon 4y ago
  Red October is a great movie. Really a "they don't make 'em like they used to" action flick.
  - phlipski 4y ago
    I'd argue it's not a true action flick - it's really a spy thriller in disguise. Great flick though! "One ping..." Spy Games is another underrated espionage thriller.
    - remarkEon 4y ago
      >a spy thriller in disguise I see what you did there ...
  - bookofjoe 4y ago
    See also: "Das Boot" https://youtu.be/7pzKyeIex2Y https://youtu.be/7pzKyeIex2Y
    - remarkEon 4y ago
      Yes, this one is also great. Every time I watch it, it's like it's somehow aged even better.

is_true 4y ago

Interesting. One could create blog posts with hypothetical military plans/devices from different locations and test which locations get raided. Sort of military a/b testing

Atheros 4y ago
A violence-based binary search.

spigottoday 4y ago

Three Days of the Condor

Maursault 4y ago
It will happen this way. You may be walking. Maybe the first sunny day of the spring. And a car will slow beside you, and a door will open, and someone you know, maybe even trust, will get out of the car. And he will smile, a becoming smile. But he will leave open the door of the car and offer to give you a lift.

kjellsbells 4y ago

I was going to respond with the story about how British WW2 intelligence were alarmed to find code words for the D-Day operation showing up as answers in a newspaper crossword puzzle, quite coincidentally. But then I read that story again and it was not nearly so coincidental as was reported back in the day when I first heard about it. It's actually an interesting lesson in opsec. The compiler was physically close to soldiers preparing for the operation, and his pupils were filling in the grid with names they were hearing on the streets. So not really coincidental at all. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_Daily_Telegraph_crossword_security_alarm?wprov=sfla1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D-Day_Daily_Telegraph_crosswor...

StanislavPetrov 4y ago

>The only issue here imho is the violence of the raid, but that is part of the larger problems surrounding all police actions. It is also an issue that this man's possessions have been seized without due process or any sort of explanation. He has not been indicted, let alone convicted of a crime, yet the government violently broke into his home and stole all of his computers and electronic possessions, including his private, sensitive medical and financial information. The idea that some secret judge can sign some secret warrant and a gang of armed men can break into your home, assault you, and steal your possessions without any recourse available to you should be incredibly chilling to everyone who believes in due process and a free society in general.

hulitu 4y ago
> The idea that some secret judge can sign some secret warrant and a gang of armed men can break into your home, assault you, and steal your possessions without any recourse available to you should be incredibly chilling to everyone who believes in due process and a free society in general. Maybe you don't live in a democracy, but in a democracy they call it "collecting evidence". The advantage of this method is that, even if they find nothing about your presumed crime, they might find things which might incriminate you for something else, or just plant evidence.