I Could Tell You But Then You'd Have To Be Destroyed By Me - Pentagon's Black World

The Ralph Nader Library has placed the full text and images of Trevor Paglen’s book I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me online.

An Excerpt

"I began taking patches and military iconography seriously a number of years ago while visiting California's Antelope Valley in the westernmost region of the Mojave Desert.

I began to collect. When I toured interesting military bases, I took note of the symbols that its personnel wore. I started making sketches of interesting images I'd seen. As I amassed more interviews with military and intelligence-types, I always made a point of asking about patches or other memorabilia that they might have in their possession. If I saw something noteworthy adorning the wall of a bar or the home of a retired NCO, I would ask to take a photo. In many cases, people freely gave me a copy of what they had lying around. I began writing to Freedom of Information Act officers and base historians at different military installations, requesting images associated with obscure programs. Sometimes, this actually produced results. I began to amass more and more images and started to learn how to separate the diamonds from the rough. I had acquired a collector's obsession."






















See More Patches & Their Meaning Here