And, to hide from scrutiny, the executive branch inevitably ends up hiding from itself – for example, by preventing well-informed experts in the State Department from independently appraising decisions made in the Pentagon. Obligatory consultation with independent and informed people may be annoying, but it can avert misunderstandings and accelerate the painful process of correcting blunders.
当然，在国家安全问题上保密是必要的。但是过度的保密将会让稀有的资源引向毫无目标的调查追索之中。而且，为了躲避监督，行政机关通常会把自身藏匿起来。例如，阻止消息灵通的国务院专家独立地评估五角大楼做出的决定。强制性要求与独立和消息灵通人士协商可能有点讨厌，但是这可以避免误解并且加速纠正错误的痛苦过程。