Steve Jobs took a secret flight to Switzerland in 2009 for cancer treatment, reports Fortune, suggesting a radical, all-out fight against his ailment. Fortune agreed to keep this a secret, but now that their source is dead, the deal's off.

It seems Jobs may have received a special hormone-delivered radiotherapy not available in the U.S., based on what Fortune learned from Apple director Jerry York, who insisted the information be kept out of the news but who died in March 2010. "With York's death," writes Fortune, "the off-the-record agreement is no longer in place." Remember, confidential sources: Always specify "off the record, eternity version."

Update: Tweets former New York Times auto writer Micki Maynard, "Jerry York told others of us details about Steve Jobs' illness. To me, a promise is a promise."

[Fortune, photo via AP]