The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers Case [Paperback]

David Rudenstine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1998 | ISBN-10: 0520213823 | ISBN-13: 978-0520213821

This bold account provides an original perspective on one of the most significant legal struggles in American history: the Nixon administration's efforts to prohibit the New York Times and the Washington Post from publishing the 7,000-page, top-secret Pentagon Papers, which traced U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In his gripping account of this highly charged case, Rudenstine examines new evidence, raises difficult questions, and challenges conventional views of a historic moment.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Despite Americans' constitutional right to a free press, certain government information--particularly that concerning military affairs--has been placed beyond the realm of public access. A U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1971, however (brought about when the Nixon administration sued the the New York Times) knocked a howitzer-sized hole in that theory when the case allowed the New York Times and the Washington Post to print excerpts from the Pentagon Papers, a 7,000- page document regarding U.S. involvement in Vietnam. After years of poring over secret documents and transcripts, David Rudenstine has written the definitive analysis of the dramatic case in all its various contexts and from the perspectives of all the players. Clearly negotiating a maze of facts and legalese, The Day the Presses Stopped explains the powerful political forces at work behind the case, weighing the arguments of freedom of information versus national and diplomatic security in a vivid and engaging manner. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

collection of internal documents from cigarette manufacturer Brown & Williamson, which many are calling "the Pentagon Papers of tobacco." (May,
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press (July 7, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520213823
• ISBN-13: 978-0520213821
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #253,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly, a page-turner, July 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers Case (Hardcover)

Rudenstine's book is a terrific read! The secret's in the pacing, because he steps through the events leading to the landmark Supreme Court ruling day-by-day, sometimes hour-by-hour. Because the Nixon administration sought preliminary injunctions against the Times and Post, the legal battle was fought over a few weeks, accelerating toward the end.

The author is unsparing in his criticism of the legal approaches used on all sides and points out errors and opportunities missed by judges, lawyers, defendants, and plaintiffs. The result is a less tidy view of what I had previously presumed was a cut-and-dried First Amendment case.

Forgive my low-brow tastes, fellow readers, but this book reminded me of Tom Clancy's first novel, The Hunt for Red October: It makes a thriller by tracing the technicalities swirling around a crisis. I wish there were a sequel.

5.0 out of 5 stars Ignore Russo's ruffled feathers, November 9, 2009

By 

Homer Simpson "DOH!" (Springfield) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers Case (Paperback)

This is one of those rare beasts in non-fiction -- a page-turner that has been written and edited so well that there is no excess verbiage or repetition! I wanted to know more about the Pentagon Papers, and my research pointed me in the direction of this book, but I had no idea what a wonderful read it would turn out to be...

13 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What Rudenstine left out, January 1, 2000

By 

Anthony J. Russo, Jr. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Day the Presses Stopped: A History of the Pentagon Papers Case (Hardcover)

Rudenstine, a lawyer leaves out any consideration of international law. For example, he fails to even mention Professor Richard Falk of Princeton University who edited three thick volumes on international law and the Viet Nam War. Falk is the lawyer who is the leading authority on the Pentagon Papers. Rudenstine also gives short shrift to the trial that was the main reason for Nixon's fall (much moreso than the Watergate burglary): the Ellsberg- Russo Pentagon Papers Trial which came about as a result of my civil disobedience (refusing to testify before the Pentagon Papers grand jury and thus going to jail) in the summer of 1971. As a result of these omissions Rudenstine's book is seriously flawed.