Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg was put on trial in 1971 for leaking the Pentagon Papers, but the case was dismissed in 1973 because of government misconduct. He is the author of "Papers on the War," "Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers" and "The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner." Follow him on Twitter: @DanielEllsberg

Articles by this author

U.S. Pentagon. (Photo: Staff/AFP via Getty Images) Views
Friday, January 08, 2021
Will Unprovoked War With Iran Be Trump's Parting Gift to the World?
President Trump’s incitement of criminal mob violence and occupation of the Capitol makes clear there is no limitation whatever on the abuse of power he may commit in the next two weeks he remains in office. Outrageous as his incendiary performance was on Wednesday, I fear he may incite something...
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A front yard placard states "VOTE HIM OUT BEFORE HE KILLS US ALL!!" and multiple campaign signs in support of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on the penultimate day before the general election on November 1, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The grassroots get of the vote campaign efforts of canvassing, door knocking, literature drops, phone calling, and texting, will prove crucial in determening the outcome of voter turnout and ultimately the presidency. (Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images) Views
Monday, November 02, 2020
Dear Fellow Progressives: Please Vote for Biden
'Tis the season for some progressives to argue that the best way to build a progressive political movement in America is to stick it to the centrist Democrats—who have rejected progressive nominees and platforms—by voting for a third party, even in swing states. If that helps elect what many regard...
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As president he has assaulted not only the First Amendment but also virtually every other aspect and institution of our country that preserves us as a republic. (Photo: Christopher Michel, noamgalai / Shutterstock.com) Views
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Leaker of Pentagon Papers: Trump Is an Enemy of the Constitution and Must Be Defeated
For almost four years, I’ve been very worried—ashamed and dismayed, really—that my country allowed Donald Trump to be president. It’s now of transcendent importance to prevent him from gaining a second term. Michigan is my home state. I attended public grade school in Highland Park and was a...
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Daniel Ellsberg Views
Saturday, May 18, 2019
The Truth-Teller: From the Pentagon Papers to the Doomsday Machine
This interview was originally published on the Great Transition Initiative website. See more of GTI's work here . The growth of the military-industrial complex poses an existential threat to humanity. Daniel Ellsberg, peace activist and Vietnam War whistleblower discusses with Tellus Senior Fellow...
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Monday, October 06, 2014
Ellsberg Sees Vietnam-Like Risks in ISIS War
At a recent talk at the National Press Club in Washington DC, Daniel Ellsberg, who released the Pentagon Papers in 1971, says he believes there’s not one person in the Pentagon who would agree that President Obama can achieve his aim of destroying ISIS in Iraq and Syria with air strikes, along with...
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Thursday, January 09, 2014
On Secrecy, Oaths, and Edward Snowden
These two pieces, the first by Marcy Wheeler , in part commenting on the second by Amy Davidson in the New Yorker (along with Snowden himself, in
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Monday, July 08, 2013
Snowden Made the Right Call When He Fled the US
Many people compare Edward Snowden to me unfavorably for leaving the country and seeking asylum, rather than facing trial as I did. I don’t agree. The country I stayed in was a different America, a long time ago.
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Monday, June 10, 2013
Edward Snowden: Saving Us from the United Stasi of America
In my estimation, there has not been in American history a more important leak than Edward Snowden's release of NSA material – and that definitely includes the Pentagon Papers 40 years ago .
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Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A Salute to Bradley Manning, Whistleblower, As We Hear His Words for the First Time
On Tuesday, the Freedom of the Press Foundation , an organization that I co-founded and of which I'm on the board , has published an audio recording of Bradley Manning's speech to a military court from two weeks ago, in which he gives his reasons and motivations behind leaking over 700,000 government documents to WikiLeaks.
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Thursday, October 18, 2012
Defeat Romney, Without Illusions about Obama
It is urgently important to prevent a Republican administration under Romney/Ryan from taking office in January 2013. The election is now just weeks away, and I want to urge those whose values are generally in line with mine -- progressives, especially activists -- to make this goal one of your priorities during this period.
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