OK to cheat, It's a secret
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050302/ts_nm/court_spies_dc


Yes, it's okay to recruit spies, tell them you will take care of them, and then once you don't need them, use Secrecy as a shield so you don't have to pay them.


I have not read the appropriate 1875 decision, but from what is in this article, it appears that the 1875 decision was about paying heirs.

Any lawyers out there to explain this? thanks

Sounds pretty reasonable to me. What's to stop me from all of a sudden suing for my services as a spy, even though I am not nor have I ever been, a spy (wink wink).

So if there was declassified documentation to support their claim, you would still deny them. Sounds awful contradictory for someone from the right to be denying someone's rights to property, here being the money owed them.

What would stop you is a lack of evidence.

In Sovier Union, the CIA sues you! Ooops! Wrong board!

Sounds like a classic case of leverage, or rather, lack thereof. I guess since the deal is off, they could make some money on a book deal or somesuch.

OTOH, if the spying arrangement had been different, ie Soviets spying on the US, when their services were no longer needed, a new, much simpler contract replaces the old one, which lessens the overal fiscal impact.

Basically the same contract handed out here in terms of money cost to the government

Being the spy and not being paid...hmmm all of a sudden I might pass along some bogus information...