Ellsberg of Pentagon Papers Fame Speaks of War and Intention

By Leigh DuPuy

With preparations for war, protests, and debates of government intention at the forefront of the nation's consciousness, Daniel Ellsberg reminded an audience at UMass Boston that history might be repeating itself. In his address on March 3 at the Ryan Lounge, Ellsberg spoke softly but directly about his experiences as whistle-blower on the true nature of the U.S. government's involvement in Vietnam and drew numerous corollaries to the present-day conflict with Iraq.

A former marine and strategic analyst, Ellsberg worked at the Pentagon in 1964 under the secretary of defense, Robert McNamara, helping to write the Pentagon Papers that he made public in 1971. Providing 7,000 pages of the history of the United States involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1968 to the New York Times and Washington Post, Ellsberg helped open the eyes of a nation to an intentional deception on the part of the American government. These experiences are the focus of his new book, Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers.

"The Pentagon Papers show a history of four presidents in a row lying to us in aspects of wa--history, costs, how many troops, consequence, length," said Ellsberg. He believes similar lies are being told in the current administration's assessment of the threat in Iraq. "Bush bringing democracy to Iraq feels like a lie. There is no chance..."

Ellsberg went on to say that he believes President Bush and Vice President Cheney have no sense of the real human impact of the war and cautioned the audience to apply a healthy skepticism to all that the government officials say. "It doesn't mean that you don't listen to them at all; it doesn't mean that everything they say is untrue. What it means is that anything they say may be totally untrue," he said.

"I am very pleased about the amount of persistence that has emerged..." said Ellsberg about the many peace protests throughout campuses, the nation, and in the international community. He pointed to historical documents revealing President Nixon's obsession with anti-Vietnam War protests, despite all public signs that the administration was not attentive. He believes these kinds of protests do make a significant impact.

The event, one of many anti-war lectures held at UMass Boston recently, was sponsored by the John W. McCormack Institute of Public Affairs and the William Joiner Center for the Study of War and Social Consequences.

Image: Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, addressed an audience of faculty, staff, and students in the Ryan Lounge on March 3. (Photo by Harry Brett)

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