Answer: Losing secret papers to the enemy could have serious consequences.
Explanation:
The central idea here is that when secret papers are lost to the enemy, they could have serious consequences. This is why the both the British and the Americans tried to capture riders conveying messages for the other side so that they could get the messages.
If these messages were found, they could help in the war effort by implicating spies such as George Higday who would be put to death should evidence be found of their treachery. This would be good for the side that was being spied on as less information would be leaked and bad for the other side as they will have less information to act on.
A government strategy in dealing with other nations.
Basically saying you don’t realize you’re repeating history until it’s too late
