--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perhaps the gravest charge was that…" description: "\"“Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated commercial espionage with statecraft. That would be shocking if true. It would be illegal under ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/edward-lucas-26092_quote_perhaps-the-gravest-charge-was-that-amer_2118305.jpg" --- # Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated… ![“Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated commercial espionage with statecraft. That would be shocking if true. It would be illegal under American law. It would confer unfair advantages on the lucky US companies that received intelligence titbits from the government, and disadvantage…” quote by Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/edward-lucas-26092_quote_perhaps-the-gravest-charge-was-that-amer_2118305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/edward-lucas-26092_quote_perhaps-the-gravest-charge-was-that-amer_2118305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/34b/edward-lucas-26092_quote_perhaps-the-gravest-charge-was-that-amer_2118305.jpg) > ““Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated commercial espionage with statecraft. That would be shocking if true. It would be illegal under American law. It would confer unfair advantages on the lucky US companies that received intelligence titbits from the government, and disadvantage their competitors. It would discredit America's reputation for fair dealing in the eyes of the rest of the world.”” [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He warns that mixing commercial espionage with statecraft harms fairness and reputation. **In simple terms:** Mixing business spying with diplomacy is illegal and unfair. Key Takeaway Separate intelligence from corporate gain. Themes ethics law international relations Mood cautious analytical Type political critical When to use this quote - government contracts - tech industry - global trade - legal frameworks Key Concepts espionage statecraft fair competition Questions to Reflect On - How can oversight be improved? - What are the risks of blurred lines? A Different Perspective Implementation may be hard to enforce across agencies. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Espionage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/espionage/) ## Related quotes > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [The Iraqi regime was supporting terrorist cells all over the world. We had to expel three Iraqi diplomats from the Philippines because of evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-iraqi-regime-was-supporting-terrorist-cells-all-over-the-world-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Generally speaking, espionage offers each spy an opportunity to go crazy in a way he finds irresistible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/generally-speaking-espionage-offers-each-spy-an-opportunity-to-go/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Their conversation ceased abruptly with the entry of an oddly-shaped man whose body resembled a certain vegetable. He was a thickset fellow with calloused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-phillips/their-conversation-ceased-abruptly-with-the-entry-of-an-oddly-shaped/) Jeff Phillips > [“espionage—against countries as diverse as Belgium, Japan, Brazil, and Germany—in stark terms:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/espionage-against-countries-as-diverse-as-belgium-japan-brazil-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“Believing in a conspiracy theory is one strategy people use to regain a sense of control, even if the conspiracy theory is unrelated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice-junior/believing-in-a-conspiracy-theory-is-one-strategy-people-use-to-regain/) Oscar Auliq-Ice Junior > [“The Intelligence Services of East and West have given Europe over fifty years of peace - the longest the Continent has ever known. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-wolf/the-intelligence-services-of-east-and-west-have-given-europe-over/) [Markus Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-wolf/) > [“We have to live without sympathy, don't we? That's impossible of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-to-live-without-sympathy-don-t-we-that-s-impossible-of-course/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [There was an intervention of the foreign states in the Russian Far East, Archangel of the West border of Russia. The foreign troops were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-semichastny/there-was-an-intervention-of-the-foreign-states-in-the-russian-far/) Vladimir Semichastny > [“Langley bred a certain type of person with great intention. The human resources department required nearly as sophisticated of analysts as the foreign intelligence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-blackmar/langley-bred-a-certain-type-of-person-with-great-intention-the-human/) [Lynn Blackmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-blackmar/) > [The neighbourhood is a place of...intrigue and emotional espionage, where when two people stop to talk on the street their tongues are like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-neighbourhood-is-a-place-of-intrigue-and-emotional-espionage/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [There are serious and legitimate concerns about academic espionage at our universities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/there-are-serious-and-legitimate-concerns-about-academic-espionage-at/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [“Havens turned again. Someone else passed between the trucks. That someone walked with less purpose than the other workers near the stalls. To Havens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-patten/havens-turned-again-someone-else-passed-between-the-trucks-that/) J.T. Patten > [“The sensation was an explosion of feelings, leaving in its place a pleasured memory of that moment. That, thought Seth, was pure heaven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-eade/the-sensation-was-an-explosion-of-feelings-leaving-in-its-place-a/) [Kenneth Eade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-eade/) ## More by Edward Lucas > [“More importantly in my view, the Obama administration has treated whistleblowers with scandalous harshness, especially those from inside the intelligence community. The hardest point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/more-importantly-in-my-view-the-obama-administration-has-treated/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The single biggest lesson of the whole Snowden fiasco is that America's own sloppiness made it vulnerable: whether to misguided whistleblowers, saboteurs or foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-single-biggest-lesson-of-the-whole-snowden-fiasco-is-that-america/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Snowden revelations have also exposed the fact that senior officials, particularly America's Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, have not been fully frank…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-snowden-revelations-have-also-exposed-the-fact-that-senior/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The idea that the material is safe because it is encrypted is shockingly naïve: it is child's play for a sophisticated adversary to place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-idea-that-the-material-is-safe-because-it-is-encrypted-is/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Kremlin also is determined, along with China, to wrest control of the internet from the American-based committees which run it now. It wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-kremlin-also-is-determined-along-with-china-to-wrest-control-of/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“It is only a mild caricature to say that the presumption behind the leaks is that the intelligence agencies in the West are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/it-is-only-a-mild-caricature-to-say-that-the-presumption-behind-the/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“It is important not to concentrate the defence case too narrowly on terrorism. That is a grave threat, but not the only one. Invoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/it-is-important-not-to-concentrate-the-defence-case-too-narrowly-on/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“Relationships have decayed; trust has ebbed. This is not a new problem. George W Bush's administration made a bonfire of American soft power with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/relationships-have-decayed-trust-has-ebbed-this-is-not-a-new-problem/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The Snowdenistas' exaggeration stems from a conflation of self-criticism with self-hatred. In their eyes, democracy, the rule of law and constitutional government have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-snowdenistas-exaggeration-stems-from-a-conflation-of-self/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“Rahul Sagar, a professor at Princeton, has defined these well in his new book Secrets and Leaks:73 First, a whistleblower must have clear and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/rahul-sagar-a-professor-at-princeton-has-defined-these-well-in-his/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“I freely admit that it is possible that Snowden conceived his plan on his own, and with honourable if mistaken motives. It may well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/i-freely-admit-that-it-is-possible-that-snowden-conceived-his-plan-on/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“If the NSA is able to intercept the communications of a top Russian politician, surely it deserves praise (in private), not censure and exposure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/if-the-nsa-is-able-to-intercept-the-communications-of-a-top-russian/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The NSA and allies scamper through the plumbing of the internet like mice through the nooks and crannies of an old house. Huge slices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-nsa-and-allies-scamper-through-the-plumbing-of-the-internet-like/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The members of the committee were aware of the programmes concerned, having been briefed on them in classified sessions. The question was, in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-members-of-the-committee-were-aware-of-the-programmes-concerned/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) > [“The recklessness, damage, narcissism, and self-righteousness of the Snowden camp do not invalidate all their aims. A debate on the collection and warehousing of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucas/the-recklessness-damage-narcissism-and-self-righteousness-of-the/) [Edward Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) [Explore all 22 Edward Lucas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucas/) ## More Espionage quotes > [If it comes to a question of law, the charges they brought against me - the Espionage Act - is called the quintessential political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/if-it-comes-to-a-question-of-law-the-charges-they-brought-against-me/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“Havens turned again. Someone else passed between the trucks. That someone walked with less purpose than the other workers near the stalls. To Havens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-patten/havens-turned-again-someone-else-passed-between-the-trucks-that/) J.T. Patten > [There are serious and legitimate concerns about academic espionage at our universities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikie-sherrill/there-are-serious-and-legitimate-concerns-about-academic-espionage-at/) [Mikie Sherrill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikie-sherrill/) > [The neighbourhood is a place of...intrigue and emotional espionage, where when two people stop to talk on the street their tongues are like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nadeem-aslam/the-neighbourhood-is-a-place-of-intrigue-and-emotional-espionage/) [Nadeem Aslam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nadeem-aslam/) > [“Langley bred a certain type of person with great intention. The human resources department required nearly as sophisticated of analysts as the foreign intelligence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-blackmar/langley-bred-a-certain-type-of-person-with-great-intention-the-human/) [Lynn Blackmar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-blackmar/) > [There was an intervention of the foreign states in the Russian Far East, Archangel of the West border of Russia. The foreign troops were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-semichastny/there-was-an-intervention-of-the-foreign-states-in-the-russian-far/) Vladimir Semichastny > [“We have to live without sympathy, don't we? That's impossible of course. We act it to one another, all this hardness; but we aren't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/we-have-to-live-without-sympathy-don-t-we-that-s-impossible-of-course/) [John le Carré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [“The Intelligence Services of East and West have given Europe over fifty years of peace - the longest the Continent has ever known. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-wolf/the-intelligence-services-of-east-and-west-have-given-europe-over/) [Markus Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-wolf/) > [“Believing in a conspiracy theory is one strategy people use to regain a sense of control, even if the conspiracy theory is unrelated to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-auliq-ice-junior/believing-in-a-conspiracy-theory-is-one-strategy-people-use-to-regain/) Oscar Auliq-Ice Junior > [The majority of terrorist attacks that have been disrupted in the United States have been disrupted due to things like the Time Square bomber,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/the-majority-of-terrorist-attacks-that-have-been-disrupted-in-the/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [“espionage—against countries as diverse as Belgium, Japan, Brazil, and Germany—in stark terms:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/espionage-against-countries-as-diverse-as-belgium-japan-brazil-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Their conversation ceased abruptly with the entry of an oddly-shaped man whose body resembled a certain vegetable. He was a thickset fellow with calloused…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-phillips/their-conversation-ceased-abruptly-with-the-entry-of-an-oddly-shaped/) Jeff Phillips > [Generally speaking, espionage offers each spy an opportunity to go crazy in a way he finds irresistible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/generally-speaking-espionage-offers-each-spy-an-opportunity-to-go/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [The Iraqi regime was supporting terrorist cells all over the world. We had to expel three Iraqi diplomats from the Philippines because of evidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-iraqi-regime-was-supporting-terrorist-cells-all-over-the-world-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The sensation was an explosion of feelings, leaving in its place a pleasured memory of that moment. That, thought Seth, was pure heaven”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-eade/the-sensation-was-an-explosion-of-feelings-leaving-in-its-place-a/) [Kenneth Eade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-eade/) [Browse all 211 Espionage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/espionage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perhaps the gravest charge was that America conflated commercial espionage with statecraft. That would be shocking if true. It would be illegal under American law. It would confer unfair advantages on the lucky US companies that received intelligence titbits from the government, and disadvantage their competitors. 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