Daniel Ellsberg, age 92, passed away after a brief illness in his Kensington, CA(near Berkeley,CA) home. He had announced just a few months ago that he was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. He was a brilliant student as a young man and went on to receive degrees from Harvard and Cambridge in economics. He served as a US Marine Corps officer in the mid-fifties, and then went on to work as an analyst for the R.A.N.D. Corporation. He then joined certain government officials as an advisor, specifically on nuclear weapons and nuclear war in particular.
As most middle- aged Americans know, Dr. Ellsberg gained notoriety and fame for his disclosure of secret documents that became known as the "Pentagon Papers". They came from a secret study requested by then Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. It exposed the policies pursued by successive presidents that they actually denied to the public and lied about it. When sections were published by the NY Times and the Washington Post, the the anti-war movement seized the opportunity to ramp up protests against America's continued involvement in the Vietnam War.
Eventually, Dr. Ellsberg was charged with crimes that could send him to jail for over 100 years. Then Pres. Richard Nixon sought evidence that could discredit DR. Ellsberg. He was tried in federal court, but the judge through the case out after learning of misconduct by the government and its agents, including the F.B.I. He was the author of several books, including a memoir that described his efforts to expose the secret documents through Congress, only to have the papers rejected by members of that body. He made a name for himself, but also for the American people who speak out about government activities.
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