Pentagon Papers
By: Vika • Essay • 398 Words • November 28, 2009 • 1,416 Views
Essay title: Pentagon Papers
Pentagon Papers;
The Truth to War
On June 31, 1971, President Nixon picked up a copy of his New York Times newspaper and found the 1st story on the Pentagon Papers. The Pentagon Papers was a hidden government document that had information on the Vietnam War. It was also a government study in Southeast Asia. Daniel Ellsberg knew that the government was hiding something. Daniel Ellsberg was a political activist. He was the one who leaked the information to the New York Times. Daniel Ellsberg was morally correct, but what he did was illegal.
Daniel Ellsberg saved a lot of lives sort of speak. He knew that the government was hiding something and discovered it. At first, he was a strong supporter of the Vietnam War; but then became a strong opponent. The Department of Defense continued to lie to the people about the hype about the war. The government continued to say that the war was under control. The Pentagon Papers already had statistics on the Vietnam War.
As soon as Nixon saw the paper, he went to his Attorney General right away to stop the printing of the New York Times newspaper. Daniel Ellsberg knew that he would get arrested for making copies of the papers. He knew that it was illegal. Nixon had to do something to put Ellsberg in jail. Nixon authorized aids