Pentagon Papers
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Pentagon Papers;
The Truth to War
On June 31, 1971, President Nixon picked up a copy of his New York Times newspaper and found the 1st story on the Pentagon Papers. The Pentagon Papers was a hidden government document that had information on the Vietnam War. It was also a government study in Southeast Asia. Daniel Ellsberg knew that the government was hiding something. Daniel Ellsberg was a political activist. He was the one who leaked the information to the New York Times. Daniel Ellsberg was morally correct, but what he did was illegal.
Daniel Ellsberg saved a lot of lives sort of speak. He knew that the government was hiding something and discovered it. At first, he was a strong supporter of the Vietnam War; but then became a strong opponent. The Department of Defense continued to lie to the people about the hype about the war. The government continued to say that the war was under control. The Pentagon Papers already had statistics on the Vietnam War.
As soon as Nixon saw the paper, he went to his Attorney General right away to stop the printing of the New York Times newspaper. Daniel Ellsberg knew that he would get arrested for making copies of the papers. He knew that it was illegal. Nixon had to do something to put Ellsberg in jail. Nixon authorized aids to go through Ellsbergs psychiatry files to discredit him. Since the government had enough information, they put Ellsberg in jail.
During Ellsbergs trial, Nixon knew he had the case won. But, somebody leaked the Watergate information to the judge. Since it is also illegal to go through private property, the case was dismissed. Ellsberg was set free. In 2002, he published a book called Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers.
Daniel Ellsberg showed America that Nixon deceived them on the Vietnam War. Nixon then resigned as president due to the Watergate Scandal. “The greatest honor history can bestow is the title of peacemaker,” was said by Nixon in his inaugural. Daniel Ellsberg won the heart of the American people by showing them that the Vietnam War was not a success. In reality, Daniel Ellsberg put away Richard Nixon, and gave them a new, and better president.