Publisher destroys US spy memoir

The Pentagon said Monday that a publisher has destroyed nearly 10,000 copies of a spy memoir by a former army officer in Afghanistan after officials said it exposed US military secrets.

With Pentagon representatives looking on, St. Martin's Press recycled the first editions of "Operation Dark Heart" a week ago and has released a revised version in a deal with the US government.

"There were approximately 9,500 copies of the book that contained classified information that the department entered into an agreement with the publisher to destroy," Pentagon spokesman Colonel Dave Lapan told reporters.

The US government, in an unusual move, reimbursed the publisher for the cost of the first printing, despite military officials having initially approved the manuscript for publication.

The pulped books were sent for recycling, but it remained unclear how many electronic versions of the first edition were still circulating, as reviewers had been sent copies of the memoir.

In the memoir, titled "Operation Dark Heart: Spycraft and Special Ops on the Frontlines of Afghanistan - and the Path to Victory," the author, Anthony Shaffer, a lieutenant colonel in the army reserves and a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer, recounts his five-month stint in Afghanistan in 2003.

The text of the latest edition was altered in some places to appease the military, but when the two sides disagreed, the disputed text was blacked out, Shaffer's lawyer told AFP earlier this month.

The author, who was decorated for his service in Afghanistan, condemned the Pentagon's move, saying he had taken care not to reveal classified information.

"The whole premise smacks of retaliation. Someone buying 10,000 books to suppress a story in this digital age is ludicrous," he told CNN.

AFP