Talking about the government as if it were a single unit seems inappropriate. There are many groups and many people within the government and within the militar

Talking about the government as if it were a single unit seems inappropriate. There are many groups and many people within the government and within the military and the intelligence agencies. I don't think it would be very hard for a determined group to infiltrate and hide within the government. I do think it's a lot more complicated than "the government" knew or "the government" did not know.