Profile in Courage: Daniel Ellsberg

Drawing attention to the misdeeds of the government is no easy task. It’s a lonely path to take, especially when government agents are pounding on the door trying to stop you. But, it’s necessary for a well-functioning democracy to have public servants ready to put their lives and livelihoods on the line to keep elected leaders honest. Pentagon whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg knew all-too-well the consequences of telling the ugly truth about the Vietnam War, yet still went ahead and leaked the truth about the U.S. government’s decades-long involvement in Southeast Asia. Ellsberg recently passed away, but still serves as an inspiration for a new generation of whistleblowers not afraid to hold the government accountable. For telling the truth during America’s darkest hour, Daniel Ellsberg was most certainly a Profile in Courage.

From early on, it was clear that Ellsberg would achieve great things. He excelled in academics, earning a Marshall Scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge in England and ultimately attaining an Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He racked up an impressive resume in government and federal-facing work, serving stints at the State and Defense Departments and the RAND Corporation. At first, Ellsberg was a fervent “Cold Warrior” and uncritically accepted the Kennedy and Johnson administrations’ claims that they were saving the world from communist aggression. That changed in 1965 when the State Department sent Ellsberg over to South Vietnam to see the burgeoning war effort first-hand and even dig up dirt on Viet Cong fighters. Witnessing the gap between official narratives and the realities on the ground, he became increasingly aware of the devastating impact of government deceit on the lives of countless soldiers and Vietnamese civilians. Touring hamlets in the countryside, he concluded that the war was not imminently winnable as falsely suggested by establishment figures.

Ellsberg grew disillusioned by the war effort, even as the government placed growing trust in him. At the Pentagon, he worked alongside dozens of analysts to chronicle America’s long and unsavory saga in Vietnam from 1945 through the end of the 1960s. He reasoned that, if Americans knew what he knew about overly optimistic assessments of the war effort and collusion with authoritarian South Vietnamese leaders (i.e., Ngô Đình Diệm), the people would surely clamor for an end to the war. But, as NPR senior editor Ron Elving recounts, “Ellsberg showed the material to a few senators who had been critics of the war. He said he hoped they would hold hearings or enter the report in the Congressional Record. But they were not willing to do so, and one encouraged him to go to The New York Times.” Despite the immense legal and professional consequences, Ellsberg approached the paper and leading reporter Neal Sheehan promptly got to work. The result was a jaw-dropping front-page article in The New York Times appearing on June 13, 1971 detailing America’s misdeeds in Vietnam.

The article went on at length about America’s failure to bring peace to Vietnam and rid the countryside of communist insurgents, despite repeated assurances to the American people that victory was at hand. The truth was finally revealed, and the Nixon administration certainly wasn’t pleased. The Justice Department tried Ellsberg under the 1917 Espionage Act, and the whistleblower was facing up to 115 years in prison for his selfless act. Meanwhile, Nixon privately directed his Attorney General to discredit Ellsberg by any means necessary and formed a group of “plumbers” to go on the offensive against government leaks. That meant resorting to illegal activities, including breaking into Ellsberg’s psychiatrist’s office to find embarrassing/damaging information. These dirty tricks backfired and the judge trying the case declared a mistrial because of federal actions that served to gravely “offend the sense of justice.”

Ellsberg lived the rest of his life as a free man. Meanwhile, Richard Nixon lived out his post-Presidency years being rightly shamed and constantly reminded of his illegal activities in the Oval Office. Unfortunately, whistleblowers often still face retaliation for exposing government wrongdoing. Agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service have an immense amount of power, and too often use this power to retaliate against employees pointing out procedural irregularities. Instances of reported retaliation are reportedly growing at the Department of Veterans Affairs, compromising efforts to expose lackluster care given to millions of veterans.

Lawmakers can honor Ellsberg’s legacy by putting a halt to retaliation and passing comprehensive whistleblower protections. Ellsberg was a Profile in Courage, and it’s up to policymakers to embolden a new generation of courageous truth-tellers.

Image Source: The New York Times