Whistleblower's Autobiography (Memoirs of the Pentagon Papers Leaker)

Author: Daniel Ellsberg (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-08-01
Features: A true political thriller and life story, a journey from ignorance to awakening, from blind obedience to resistance. The secrecy system is the greatest threat to democracy. It conceals the responsibilities that government officials should bear. If we abandon the people and use legislative power to target courageous anti-war figures like Daniel Ellsberg, preventing them from revealing the truth, then our democratic society will continue to be a puppet of these secret documents. Ellsberg's book exposes the unethical behavior of past U.S. government leaders, but to this day, there has been little change in this regard. The secrecy system still eats away at the U.S. government and the public sphere. — Mike Gravel, U.S. Senator
For 30 years, we have been waiting for Daniel Ellsberg to tell his extraordinary story. Now it seems our wait was worthwhile. As an insider, after witnessing the U.S. slaughter in Vietnam, he discovered fraudulent behavior at the highest levels of the U.S. government, their hypocrisy and duplicity, and told us all of this with a sense of sorrow. Ellsberg's political career has been full of twists and turns, marked by a legendary aura. The Whistleblower's Memoir teaches readers a profound and thought-provoking life lesson about politics and morality, yet it remains inspiring. If our nation can learn from the past, we can embrace a brighter future. — Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
He is a symbol of the U.S. in the 1970s, representing promises and deception, hope and pain. He is a mirror, reflecting 50 years of political changes in the U.S. through his life experiences. Daniel Ellsberg was once a prominent advocate for Cold War policies. During the Vietnam War, he witnessed the lies, deception, and betrayal of morality and conscience by U.S. officials, their blind obedience and to the president, and his thinking underwent a dramatic transformation. He shifted from a supporter of the Vietnam War to a staunch anti-war activist. To end the Vietnam War, he made various efforts, but with little success. In the end, he resolved to risk life imprisonment by secretly photocopying over 7,000 pages of classified U.S. documents on Vietnam policy and handing them over to several newspapers for publication. This became known as the Pentagon Papers. The publication of the Pentagon Papers in The New York Times and The Washington Post triggered a series of events, including a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the arrest and trial of Ellsberg and his companion Anthony Russo, and the subsequent Watergate scandal. Ultimately, his actions not only ended Nixon's second term but also brought an end to the Vietnam War.
In his memoir, Ellsberg focuses on his inner journey, detailing how his thoughts and understanding evolved as he learned the truth. The Whistleblower's Memoir is the of a courageous and relentless fighter; it is the disclosure of government corruption by an insider; it is a deep reflection on the meaning of conscience and morality in a government obsessed with secrecy. At the same time, as an informed and deeply involved participant, Ellsberg, from the perspective of an American, provides unprecedented firsthand material in his narration of the Vietnam War process, the U.S. war policy, and the inner workings of the government.