What is the current state of the law on disclosure of national security information?

The common-law rule against disclosure of such information has now been embodied in the Federal Espionage Law, which makes it a criminal offense for anyone who has possession of documents or information relating to national defense to communicate the same to "any person not entitled to receive it" (U. S. Code, tit. 18, 793, subd. [d]). The statutory language of the Espionage Law should be given a broad interpretation (Gorin v. United States, 312 U. S. 19, 28), as it expresses a public policy which must override the rights of private litigants.