A wonderful and significant story. . . . The issues raised by the Pentagon Papers—presidential power, the role of the courts and the press, government secrecy—are all still with us. And this book throws fresh and important light on those issues.”—Anthony Lewis in the New York Review of Books
“Highlights the burden of a free press that enriches a nation that cherishes freedom but yearns for national security. . . . Ideal for students in media ethics and media law classes.”—American Journalism
"Offers a timely exploration for anyone wishing to investigate the legal precedents that obtain when government seeks to prevent the release of sensitive material. . . . The final chapters . . . offer considerable insight into contemporary issues of press freedom, government secrecy, and national security debates."—Journal of Military History
"The primary material is ably compiled and edited by Porter, and Prados’s analysis is insightful. He effectively argues that Nixon’s decision to challenge the open publication of these documents was an integral component of the comprehensive veil of secrecy that ultimately led to his downfall. This chilling reminder of the corrosive evils of arbitrary government secrecy in liberal society deserves a prominent place in any collection of Vietnam-era histories. Highly recommended."—Choice
“Exciting as history and compelling as law, Inside the Pentagon Papers gives us the secret documents from this famous case—and shows how thin the government’s legal and factual arguments actually were.”—Anthony Lewis, author of Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment
“This is a signal event, for the revelation of the Pentagon Papers brought forth Nixon’s Plumbers—and the rest, as we know, is history.”—Stanley I. Kutler, author of The Wars of Watergate
“So many dazzling new perspectives on events we thought we knew and a cautionary tale for here and now.”—Frank Snepp, author of Decent Interval and Irreparable Harm
“The most complete, incisive and persuasive study of those documents yet published.”—Floyd Abrams, co-counsel to the New York Times in the Pentagon Papers case
A wonderful and significant story.
— New York Review of Books
Highlights the burden of a free press that enriches a nation that cherishes freedom but yearns for national security.
On June 13, 1971, the New York Times printed its first installment of the Pentagon Papers, a massive narrative of this country's often misguided Vietnam policies from the Truman through the Johnson administrations. Prolific historian Prados (The Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of CIA Director William Colby) and Porter, an official of Vietnam Veterans of America, combine informative summaries of the impact and legacy of the Pentagon Papers with interviews of important players, most notably Daniel Ellsberg, who released the papers to the Times and the Washington Post. Also included are the views of scholars, such as David Rudenstine, whose excellent The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers is updated here through use of more recent declassified documents. In one of the many illuminating first-person accounts, Hedrick Smith of the Times recounts the struggle between those who considered release of the papers a breach of national security and the majority, who believed that their release was essential to protect the First Amendment. The Supreme Court ruled that the government's case against release was not compelling. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
