Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

By

Steve Sheinkin

Daniel Ellsberg seemed the least likely to leak the top-secret Pentagon Papers. He was a former Marine, a Washington insider who worked at the Pentagon and spent time on the front line in Vietnam. Discouraged by the lies told by the Johnson and Nixon administrations to the public and Congress, and the increasing casualties, Ellsberg gave reporters and senators copies of the top-secret papers referred to as the Pentagon Papers. These documents proved that the previous and current administrations knowingly lied about U.S. involvement in Vietnam to Congress and the public. What happened after the New York Times and Washington Post published parts of the documents led to a showdown before the Supreme Court between the government and the First Amendment right of the free press. While some accused Ellsberg of being a traitor, others praised him as a hero. Read Most Dangerous to see what you think!