Washington: Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst and researcher dubbed America’s most dangerous man after the 1971 Pentagon Papers leak, has died at the age of 92 at his home in Kensington, California. His family gave this information. In a statement late Friday, his family said he died of pancreatic cancer, the BBC reported. The Pentagon Papers exposed the extent of Washington’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Former President Richard Nixon’s administration attempted to withhold a story in The New York Times on the matter.
The BBC said that the newspapers contradicted the government’s public statements on the war and their devastating revelations helped end the conflict and ultimately undermine President Nixon’s authority. The Pentagon Papers created a conflict between the Nixon administration and The New York Times, which published suppressed Vietnam War news for the first time. The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of freedom of the press.
Ellsberg was indicted in 1971 in federal court in Los Angeles on charges of theft, espionage, conspiracy and other counts. But before the jury could reach a verdict, the judge dismissed the case, citing serious government misconduct, including illegal wiretapping. Judge said that in the middle of the case he was offered the job of FBI Director by one of President Nixon’s top aides. Prior to arriving at the Pentagon, Ellsberg worked for the Departments of Defense and State.
The Marine Corps veteran with a Harvard doctorate continues his quest to hold the government accountable after the Pentagon Papers leak. During an interview in December 2022, he told the BBC that he was the secret “back-up” for the WikiLeaks document leaks. In the WikiLeaks case, Julian Assange’s organization published more than 700,000 classified documents, videos and diplomatic cables provided by a US military intelligence analyst in 2010. Ellsberg told the BBC he thought Assange “could count on me to find some way to get this (the information) out”.
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