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For Daniel Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers in 1971, he had to first decide to turn his back on a long career close to power.
As a nuclear war strategist, Ellsberg was immersed in government secrets – and he knew enough to fear that a small conflict could erupt into a nuclear holocaust. When the Vietnam War flared, Ellsberg worried his worst fears would be realized. He decided to take a huge risk.
Soon, 22-year-old Robert Rosenthal got a call from his boss at The New York Times. He was told to go to Room 1111 of the Hilton Hotel, bring enough clothes for at least a month and not tell anyone. Rosenthal was part of a team called in to publish the Pentagon Papers, an explosive history of the United States’ political and military actions in Vietnam that shattered the government’s narratives about the war. Ellsberg’s leak to the press started a chain reaction that brought down Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Ellsberg died last month at 92. Rosenthal is now serving as Reveal’s CEO and editor in chief. This week, we revisit an episode, originally aired in May 2016, in which Ellsberg and Rosenthal share their recollections of the historic events.
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