Openness is in this respect like pacifism: just as we cannot embrace complete disarmament while others stand ready to use their weapons, so Woodrow Wilson’s world of open diplomacy is a noble ideal that cannot be fully realized in the world in which we live.
不过，公开并非总是比保密好。譬如美国外交官发现，某国处在残暴的军事独裁统治下，而该国的民主人士正在与下级军官进行谈判，以发动政变，恢复民主和法治。我希望“维基解密”在此情况下不会公布外交官向上司报告这个密谋的电报。