On September 11, Dutton is publishing an account of the killing of Osama bin Laden by one of the Navy SEALs who participated the raid in Pakistan last year. Called No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden, the book has been sold to accounts with little information other than it was "a big book." Even with publication, the book will continue to be cloaked in some secrecy: the author is using the pseudonym Mark Owen (his co-writer is Kevin Maurer) and the names of other SEALs have been changed. Still, the author's biography contains enough information--he grew up in Alaska, completed 13 combat mission since September 11, retired in the last year, for example--to make it likely his real identity will be revealed eventually.
Dutton is publishing 300,000 copies of No Easy Day. The author will promote the book, appearing in disguise and with his voice altered, and intends to donate a portion of his proceeds to the families of slain SEALs.
Reuters quoted White House, Defense Department and CIA spokespeople as saying the book had not been submitted for review. Dutton spokesperson Christine Ball told Reuters, "The book was vetted by a former special operations attorney. He vetted it for tactical, technical, and procedural information as well as information that could be considered classified by compilation and found it to be without risk to national security."
The AP noted that "if the book sticks to his personal thoughts about the job and the mission, Owen may be in the clear. But often special operations forces must sign nondisclosure agreements. And they are not allowed to release classified information, such as intelligence data or military tactics and procedures used to ensure success of the [bin Laden] raid."
The CIA and Defense Department could try to block publication. If the government doesn't cause problems for the book, another assault--or even more publicity--may come from politicians. In an effort to detract from President Obama's success in killing bin Laden, Republicans have charged that the administration leaked information about the raid and several other national security successes to the media. Their criticism has already delayed the airing of a documentary about the raid until after the presidential election. As the New York Times noted, No Easy Day "promises to be one of the biggest books of the year, with the potential to affect the presidential campaign in the final weeks before the election."
