Secrets

In 1971 former Cold War hard-liner Daniel Ellsberg made history by releasing the Pentagon Papers — a 7,000-page top-secret study of U.S. decision-making in Vietnam — to the New York Times and Washington Post. The document set in motion a chain of events that ended not only the Nixon presidency but the Vietnam War. In this remarkable memoir, Ellsberg describes in dramatic detail the two years he spent in Vietnam as a U.S. State Department observer, and how he came to risk his career and freedom to expose the deceptions and delusions that shaped three decades of American foreign policy. The story of one man's exploration of conscience, Secrets is also a portrait of America at a perilous crossroad.

Ellsberg's transformation from cold warrior and Defense Department analyst to impassioned antiwar crusader who released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times in June 1971 makes a remarkable and riveting story that still shocks 30 years later. Avoiding, for the most part, self-justification and self-aggrandizement, he clearly relates the experiences that led him to reject as arrogant lies the premises six presidents presented to the public and Congress to secure support for the Vietnam War. He describes the disjunction between what he saw during visits to Vietnam in the early and mid-'60s, driving through dangerous Viet Cong-held territory, and what was told to the press and public. And he recalls his first reading of the classified documents later known as the Pentagon Papers, which exposed the motives, in his view unprincipled, behind American involvement in Vietnam. Ellsberg creates page-turning human drama and suspense in both his descriptions of his early experience accompanying U.S. combat missions in Vietnam and his days spent underground evading an FBI manhunt after the Times's publication of the Papers. Another strength of this memoir is Ellsberg's vivid recollections of meetings with prominent policymakers, from Henry Kissinger to Senator William Fulbright, that re-create the deep tensions of the Vietnam era. Ellsberg raises serious ethical questions about how citizens, politicians, the press and officials act when confronted with government actions they consider immoral and perhaps illegal. Ellsberg's own answer is history.

"Daniel Ellsberg's covert photocopying and subsequent publishing of thousands of documents pertaining to the decision-making behind the American war effort in Vietnam is among the best known examples of civil disobedience in American history. It is certainly one of the most effective. Although Secrets does not reveal much new regarding the publication of the Pentagon Papers, Ellsberg's memoir is nevertheless a fascinating depiction of the crisis of conscience suffered by this former insider. Interestingly, Ellsberg knew very early on that the escalation of the war in 1964—65 was born in a crucible of deception. In August 1964, Ellsberg was busy pouring over the cables sent by the Navy from the Tonkin Gulf. His position allowed him the access to know that the administration's claims regarding an 'unprovoked attack' were simply not the case. Despite his early understanding and private revulsion to the course of American involvement in Southeast Asia, Ellsberg's decision to risk his job and his freedom by copying and disseminating the famous documents did not come until 1971. His depiction of this period is extremely interesting—Ellsberg potently describes the frustration he suffered resulting from his fruitless attempts to convince his superiors that America's Vietnam policies were fundamentally flawed. This is a fascinating memoir and should be read by anyone interested in this sad period in America's history." Reviewed by Andrew Witmer, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)

"[Ellsberg's] well-told memoir sticks in the mind and will be a powerful testament for future students of a war that the United States should never have fought." The Washington Post

"Ellsberg's autobiographical account provides insight into the disturbing abuses of presidential power that plagued the Vietnam/Watergate era." Library Journal

"Secrets will be of value to readers interested in recent history for the light it sheds on America's engagement in Vietnam. But it bears also on the present." The Economist

"Ellsberg's deft critique of secrecy in government is an invaluable contribution to understanding one of our nation's darkest hours." Theodore Roszak, San Francisco Chronicle

"...Ellsberg has delivered an eye-opening, useful lesson on American policy-making that is compelling and relevant today. History does repeat itself, after all..." Miami Herald

"...a real-life political thriller that cogently traces the nation's failed policy in Vietnam." USA Today

"No previous psychological portrait of a whistle-blower has topped Ellsberg's for suspense, subtlety and clarity. The admirable qualities of the book extend beyond its insights into one person's evolution from organization man to dissident..." St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"In this long-awaited memoir, Ellsberg tells the gripping story of his transformation from hawk to dove, insider to outsider, secrets keeper to secrets spiller." Boston Globe

"At the time, many Americans considered Ellsberg a traitor. He was not, nor in this book is he an apologist for the communists or their system. He is a liberal. Liberals should like this book a lot ? particularly now, when they seem unsure of their own bearings." Bruce Ramsey, Houston Chronicle

"[Ellsberg's] story parallels the entire American experience in Vietnam, one that began with determination and even enthusiasm, moved on to doubt and dread, and ended in disgust and shame. Thus Secrets is a necessary and a painful read." Chicago Tribune

"There are certainly points on which many readers will disagree with Ellsberg, but such disagreements don't erase this fundamental idea: Self-criticism and self-examination are critical ingredients in an open society." Rocky Mountain News

"A classic. As he explains at length the factors driving him to become a whistle-blower, he shares his doubts and his missteps. No previous psychological portrait of a whistle-blower has topped Ellsberg's for suspense, subtlety and clarity." Portland Oregonian

"If we're looking for a warning signal as we teeter on the brink of yet another war waged on the basis of information considered too important to share with the public, we should look no further than in these pages." Los Angeles Times

Daniel Ellsberg is a former U.S. Marine commander and Rand analyst, and was one of the "whiz kids" recruited by Robert McNamara as a Pentagon war analyst in the Johnson administration. He is a prominent speaker and activist on behalf of antinuclear and environmental causes.