Note 56 — V CORRUPTION IN BUSINESS AND POLITICS

Limitation of the scope of this study to the internal forms of corruption makes it impossible to discuss this very interesting topic. It may be noted, however, that in international cases certain peculiarities occur regarding the personal element of corruption. When the military secrets of one government are purchased by another, the faithless official of the former who makes the sale is, of course, corrupt in the highest degree. What shall be said of the nation making the purchase? Personal interest on its side is merged in the collective interest of a commonwealth numbering millions of inhabitants it may be. The case is not entirely unlike those in which group interest rather than self interest impels to corrupt action (see p. 65), except that in the latter the groups are subordinate and not sovereign. If, however, the state which buys the secrets of another government runs counter to international law or morality in so doing, it may be held to be pursuing a relatively narrow interest regardless of the broader interest of humanity as a whole. From this point of view the state which uses money for such ends is guilty of corruption although, of course, it is a highly socialised form of corruption.