Why suppressing a senior commander's memoir could backfire

Could the government simply suppress a dismissed senior commander's publication?

It could try, but suppression could generate speculation, while legal argument might reveal the very details it sought to contain.

The reply argues that suppressing a prominent commander's publication would itself attract attention. Rumours about the contents could be more damaging than the text. A legal dispute might also reveal passages or details in the course of arguing the case. The discussion uses these publicity risks to qualify the idea that government could simply prevent a dismissed commander from publishing.