Luke+and+Tyler+M+-+Pentagon+Papers

Tyler M and Luke Walker Pentagon Papers

The Pentagon Papers were a “top-secret” 47-volume collection of the United State’s involvement in Indochina from World War II to the Vietnam War (1945-1968). The paper had a total of 7,000 pages, 3000 Pages of “narrative” and 4000 pages of “appended.” The documents took a year and a half to complete. In March 1968, Daniel Ellsberg gave the papers to Neil Sheehan who covered the Vietnam War for UPI in Vietnam; he then came home to become the New York Time’s Vietnam expert. Sheehan and a large group of editors and writers prepared the papers. Ellsberg; at first, supported the United State’s involvement in Indochina. As the war continued, Ellsberg started opposing the war. The papers stated that the Nixon administration supported the assassination of South Vietnamese president Dihn Diem. Also, it showed Johnson was lying when he promised the public he didn’t intend to expand the war. The Nixon Administration sued Daniel Ellsberg for releasing the classified papers about the United State’s involvement in Indochina for all the public to see. In the Supreme Court case (New York Times v. The United States); the Supreme Court ruled in favor (7-2) of the newspapers being able to published the papers (Freedom of Press) in newspapers. The public agreed that the publishing if the papers did not harm the well being of the United State’s national security. This incident proved the significance of the 1st amendment. Although, Ellsberg was charged with twelve felonies and a possible 115 years in prison. Nixon couldn’t stand Ellsberg. He sent 12 Cubans from Miami to hurt if not kill Ellsberg. The Cuban’s left with no harm done to Ellsberg. The “Freedom of Speech” policy got Ellsberg through this controversy. Although, many people supported Ellsberg’s act in leaking the Pentagon Papers; in fact, 25,000 people supported Ellsberg and Russo (another man involved in the leaking of the Pentagon Papers.) The papers also said that we were not attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin. Lyndon Baines Johnson, who took it to a congress vote (congress voted for retaliation in an overwhelming vote), was actually the one who attacked first. The papers revealed The Truman administration’s involvement in France’s war with Viet Mihn’s communist Vietnam, resulting in the United State’s involvement in attempt to free Vietnam from Frances power over them. The Pentagon Papers were the last “blow” to the public’s support of the war.

http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=kt8g50226j&chunk.id=c001386&brand=oac http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Ellsberg/ells.QA99.leak.html http://school.eb.com/eb/article-9059115 http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itdhr/0297/ijde/goodsb1.htm __The Vietnam Experience__ - __A Nation Divided__; Authors: Clark Dougan, Steven Weiss and the editors of Boston Publishing Company; Published by Boston Publishing Company. Copyright date: 1983; City of Publication Boston (MA); http://www.gwu.edu/wnsarchiv/NSAEBBINSAEBB48/