A furor erupted when Dr. Daniel Ellsburg released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times on June 13, 1971, forty-nine years ago. Commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, the report covered the history of America’s political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945-1967. It exposed the many lies and deceptions perpetrated by the military and government leaders in order to justify our policies of aggression in Vietnam and to draft the younger generation into the military. Dr. Ellsburg should have received acclaim for his courage to bring the truth to the people.
Surprisingly, many citizens vilified Ellsburg for releasing classified information. No one cared that the government was lying as shown in the content of the cables and documents from past Republican and Democratic administrations. Apparently, Americans relish their fantasies and don’t change their minds even when the truth undermines their beliefs. Ellsburg, a military analyst for the Rand Corporation and the Defense Department, became one of my heroes.
During the Vietnam War, I was frustrated that no one inside the Johnson’s or Nixon’s administration was trying to stop what I thought was a stupid war. It turns out America had many unsung heroes inside the government fighting to dispel the inaccurate reports and show our leaders that we were losing. Those people in the State and Defense departments risked their careers for bucking their bosses. Their reward for pointing out that the emperor wore no clothes was demotion, transfer, or termination.
So what kind of country do we value? The truth tellers or fantasyland? Reality versus propaganda? See David Halberstam’s “The Best and the Brightest” to see how distorted our government and maybe society have become. Another insightful and well-researched book, “The Coldest Winter,” speaks to military missteps in Korea. Bob Woodward’s “State of Denial — Bush at War Part III,” discloses inept US government and military decisions in Iraq. I hesitate to look into Afghanistan.
The United States keeps losing the cream of its youth as well as much of its treasure through doomed wars justified by the egos of its self-absorbed leaders and their conduct of lying? The deaths of 58,000 Americans plus many more wounded in Vietnam alone attest to this unacceptable behavior. We learn from history that we never learn from history. One day, I hope that we hold our elected leaders to a higher standard and that we vote in candidates who honor the merits of truth and integrity.
