Daniel Ellsberg's Release Of The Pentagon Papers During The Vietnam War

In America’s history, there are several watershed moments that can be considered important to the overall fabric of America. The Gettysburg Address, the dropping of the atomic bomb, the Kennedy assassination, 9/11, and the release of the Pentagon Papers. While one of these may seem to not fit in, the release of the Pentagon Papers was a major moment for America, and thoroughly changed both how citizens look at their government, and how far government will go to cover things up. The actions of the U.S. during the course of Vietnam were unforgivable, and their attempt to censor information after the war is even worse. The story of Daniel Ellsberg and the trials he faced while attempting to out the government shows just how far America truly

Ellsberg’s treatment by the White House Plumbers, along with the sensitive information revealed in the Pentagon Papers, helped to usher in an era of guarded distrust in American politics, that pervades the American political climate even today. I aim to use the Pentagon Papers themselves, along with other primary and secondary sources, to prove that the release of the Pentagon Papers and the subsequent experiences of Daniel Ellsberg helped to damage the public perception of the American government, both at home and abroad. Fully declassified in 2011, the Pentagon Papers are a collection of sensitive military documents that chronicle the United States involvement in Vietnam. Actually titled “United States – Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense”, the Pentagon Papers were originally commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to act as a standing history of the United States’ involvement in the war, to avoid future inaccuracies and misconceptions about the war. McNamara, ever the cagey pragmatist, hid the existence of the Pentagon Papers from then-President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of State Dean Rusk. This

government changed following the release of the Pentagon Papers, it can be said that the answer is a resounding yes. The general and basic distrust of the government following the Pentagon Papers was a direct effect of both the content of the Papers and the handling of the situation in its aftermath. Haldeman perfectly proves this point, as he stated that the release of the Pentagon Papers proved something to the people of America: “… You can’t trust the government; you can’t believe what they say; and you can’t rely on their judgement …” (Haldeman 1971). What makes this even more deplorable is that Haldeman and Ehrlichman and Nixon were entirely aware of their wrongdoing in the Ellsberg case, and yet they pressed on. Daniel Ellsberg proved that America could be wrong, had been wrong in the past, and will be wrong in the future. He jarred America out of dreams of Camelot and The Great Society and made them look at reality. America changed the day Daniel Ellsberg released the Pentagon Papers because everyone suddenly had a seat at the table, though many didn’t like what they heard. The merits of the military action in Vietnam is not the topic of this paper, but the borderline negligent handling of its secrecy, the subsequent leak, and Ellsberg’s indictment and trial were what truly sunk the ship of the United States Executive Branch. Daniel Ellsberg is a hero to some and a traitor to others, but the true blame rests