ABSTRACT
The subject of this Article is the making of threats and the working of, and social need for, laws against them. I emphasize blackmail-by which I mean threats to expose information unless money (or something else of value) is surrendered-but I devote attention also to extortion (threats to cause injury to a person or to his property in the future) and to robbery (threats to do immediate physical harm to a person), as well as to certain commonly made threats that are not illegal (for example, threatening to withdraw business unless price is lowered). 1
