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Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers Hardcover – October 14, 2002

by Daniel Ellsberg (Author)

4.6 598 ratings

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Three decades after making history by releasing the Pentagon Papers, the former U.S. Marine and Pentagon insider reveals why he did it and discusses the consequences to his life. 75,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Before leaking the Pentagon Papers, which documented U.S. foreign-policy failures and deceit in Vietnam from 1945 to 1968, Ellsberg was a gung-ho advisor to the State and Defense departments. One fascinating part of this story is his growing disenchantment with the war during these years. He came to believe that leaking the top-secret papers and other classified documents was a patriotic act that could help end the war. Other fascinating aspects of this account include Ellsberg's frustrated attempts to find a member of Congress who would accept and use the papers to build a case against the war as well as his growing role in the antiwar movement. President Nixon failed in his strong-arm tactics to discredit Ellsberg, and the case against him was dismissed because of the illegal break-in at the office of Dr Lewis Fielding, Ellsberg's psychiatrist. Interestingly, Ellsberg speculates that the break-in by Nixon's "Plumbers" was as much an attempt to blackmail Fielding as it was a gambit to stop Ellsberg. The book suffers somewhat from the overabundance of detail and repetition that also flawed Tom Wells's Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg. However, Ellsberg's autobiographical account provides insight into the disturbing abuses of presidential power that plagued the Vietnam/Watergate era. Recommended for public libraries.
Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Call it "the Gary Cooper factor": pop culture (and pop history) demands a certain modesty (like that of Cooper's "aw shucks" film characters) from American heroes. So Ellsberg hasn't fit comfortably into the American pantheon. His signal contribution also remains controversial: Ellsberg "leaked" the Pentagon Papers, but those voluminous documents were simply a history of the Vietnam War few Americans actually read. They offered few surprises but did confirm the antiwar movement's charge that the government had lied to its citizens. An unlikely whistleblower, Ellsberg was a Harvard economics Ph.D. who shifted between government appointments and the RAND Corporation and spent significant time in Vietnam--a quintessential "defense intellectual." Even after he decided the "top-secret" Pentagon Papers should be released, he spent nearly two years trying to convince various dovish politicians to take the lead. The Pentagon Papers went to the press--the New York Times and, later, the Washington Post and other outlets--only because no one else would reveal them. The Nixon administration's hysterical reaction "justified" a number of the Watergate crimes that brought down Nixon's presidency. In this memoir of his years working first for and then against the U.S. defense establishment, Ellsberg clearly regrets he took action so many years after he realized the Vietnam War could not be won. An important addition to U.S. history in the 1960s and 1970s. Mary Carroll
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

...timeless... -- A. J. Langguth, author of Our Vietnams

...written with breathtaking excitement... -- Ben Bagdikian, former assistant managing editor, Washington Post

If our nation could absorb its lessons we might all face a better future. -- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

It is a chilling tale of life at the bureaucratic top, and what profound compromises it takes to stay there. -- Seymour Hersh

The most important expose of Washington since the Pentagon Papers themselves, Secrets is essential reading for any American... -- Martin Sheen

This is an honestly and lucidly told narrative by someone who single-handedly changed the course of history. -- Daniel Schorr, Senior news analyst, National Public Radio

[Ellsberg's] story reminds us that to fulfill the responsibilities of citizenship is to always ask questions and demand the truth. -- Senator John Kerry

About the Author

Daniel Ellsberg, a Harvard graduate, ex-Marine, and Rand Corporation analyst, was one of the "whiz kids" recruited to serve in the Pentagon during the Johnson administration. In 1971, Ellsberg made headlines around the world when he released the Pentagon Papers. He is now a prominent speaker, writer, and activist.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Viking Adult (October 14, 2002)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670030309
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670030309
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.9 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.42 x 1.63 x 9.58 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #251,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #469 in Vietnam War History (Books)
- #2,022 in United States Biographies
- #7,886 in Memoirs (Books)

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4.6 598 ratings

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Customers find the book compelling and fascinating. They appreciate the author's insights and ability to describe important historical events. The writing quality is praised as well-written and articulate, with an artful prose style. Readers consider the book worth the price and an eye-opener.

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49 customers mention "Readability"46 positive3 negative

Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They say it's an excellent follow-up to the Pentagon Papers movie. The memoir is considered a critical and important read, especially in this time of new Nixonian nuclear.

"...This is a wonderful book to experience, and in reading it one comes to recognize the formidable skills Ellsberg brings to bear in terms of his..." Read more

"...If it isn't being so already.... Compelling reading." Read more

"...The book is fascinating despite the years that have gone by since the conflict...." Read more

"...An engaging read for anyone interested in American history, politics, and the Vietnam War." Read more

39 customers mention "Insight"39 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's insights. They find it provides important information about the US government's ability to keep secrets. The memoir contains gems and is a valuable resource for history students. Readers praise the author's skill in describing historical events and providing an interesting background.

"...to experience, and in reading it one comes to recognize the formidable skills Ellsberg brings to bear in terms of his amazing recall, eye for details..." Read more

"...It was indeed informative, but I wasn’t completely immersed the entire time...." Read more

"...a four hundred page book on but Ellsberg turns out to have an interesting background and he has a lot to say...." Read more

"...This autobiography provides insight into his life and motivations, while also meticulously detailing the government's efforts to arrest and silence..." Read more

25 customers mention "Writing quality"25 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's writing quality. They find the author articulate and the prose artful. The memoir is written from a perspective that has some experience, and it reads like a novel. Readers also mention that the book is clear, concise, and reads like a fiction.

"...As he explains early in the long yet fascinating monologue, he fully expected to be sentenced to a long prison sentence for having secreted a copy..." Read more

"...Which reads more like a work of fiction than what it truly is: A personal account of what was going on INSIDE the government during the build up and..." Read more

"...I liked that this was written, for lack of better terms, directly from the horse’s mouth...." Read more

"...The book is readable and it states with considerable clarity why the war was wrong." Read more

5 customers mention "Value for money"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book worth the price. They say it's hard to put down and a real eye-opener.

"...Great price for an important old (2002) book about a mostly-forgotten event, despite its stunning revelations about our Country’s most divisive War..." Read more

"...those who have an interest in the Vietnam War should find it worth the effort...." Read more

"I haven't finished the book yet, but it is already worth the price. It's hard to put down...." Read more

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Barron Laycock
Spellbinding Recounting Of The Pentagon Papers Story!
Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2002
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After finding this book quite by accident while browsing through the wonderful Concord bookstore the other day, I was astounded to find how relevant and interesting a story author Daniel Ellsberg manages to conjure up after all this time regarding his legendary experience leading up to and including the leaking, release and publication of the infamous "Pentagon Papers' by the New York Times. As he explains early in the long yet fascinating monologue, he fully expected to be sentenced to a long prison sentence for having secreted a copy of the highly classified Department of Defense's official history of the American Government's policy and involvement in Vietnam. The report was a damning confirmation of the worst fears of the anti-war movement, and provided overwhelming evidence of the cynical, manipulative, and deceitful character of our government and its deceit to its own people regarding its involvement.

What surprised Ellsberg most in all of this swirling excitement and activity was his own growing celebrity, and while he spent years fearing the worst for his own admitted culpability in defying criminal statues by stealing and leaking official government secrets, eventually the charges against him were dropped based, among other things, on the revelations of the Nixon's plumber's unit's illegal break-in at Ellsberg's psychiatrist's office. Ellsberg was an unlikely hero, a graduate of the Harvard University economics doctoral program, a former marine officer turned defense issue intellectual, a frequent visitor to Vietnam who was rankled by the distinct difference between what he was seeing and experiencing during his visits, on the one hand, and what the official American government position regarding what the situation was on the ground on the other.

Based on this growing dissatisfaction and the discovery of the so-called Pentagon papers, a treasure trove of more than 7,000 pages of carefully documented details about the U.S. Government's involvement in Vietnam and its motives, considerations, and actions, Ellsberg tried to enlist the support of a number of Senators and Congressmen in an effort to use the evidence in the Pentagon Papers to undercut the Government's position and thereby end the war itself. Failing to do so, he finally surrendered the documents to the New York Times, which agreed to publish them through a series of daily excerpts (and also later in an abridged best-selling paperback version). The Government tried to stop publication, but was denied the right to do so by the Supreme Court. Of course, with the publication came an increase in public opposition to the war and a recognition of the degree to which the Executive branch and the military had intentionally misled the public regarding the conduct of the war and the situation on the ground for the moiré than 500,000 troops then stationed in-country. Still, it took more than five more years before the American involvement in Vietnam ended.

This is a wonderful book to experience, and in reading it one comes to recognize the formidable skills Ellsberg brings to bear in terms of his amazing recall, eye for details, and ability to successfully juggle a variety of interacting considerations at the same time. This guy is smarter than the average teddy bear, and it is easy to see how difficult a task it would have been for the Department of Defense and the nitwits over in the White House to try to outmaneuver him. I was a bit surprised at some of the personal revelations in the book, and while it is obvious that Mr. Ellsberg has a healthy ego, he manages for the most part to keep it at bay in retelling a story that could have easily have devolved in a retelling of the David against Goliath epic, but which he keeps objective and factual enough to keep the story rolling along as a recounting of the gripping events that transpired more than thirty years ago and helped to turn the tide of public opinion toward the war in Vietnam. I heartily recommend this book to anyone interested in 20th century American history. Enjoy!

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D. J. Leedham
Greek Tragedy, Roman Irony and Nixonian Farce
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2013
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This is a brilliant book. During the time Ellsberg relates, he was constantly called upon to write lengthy and detailed reports for officials already over burdened with endless reports they had to consume. He had to be clear, precise, cogent, and articulate. This highly developed skill is amply demonstrated in this book. Which reads more like a work of fiction than what it truly is: A personal account of what was going on INSIDE the government during the build up and eventual crisis of the Vietnam War. And in the fields and hamlets of Vietnam.

Two quotes to frame the context:

"A popular government, without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy, or, perhaps, both. knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives." James Madison. Quoted by Daniel Ellsberg (p431)

"Once in 1967 after a somewhat pessimistic briefing by John Vann, Rostow, slightly shaken, said, "But you do admit that it'll all be over in six months." "Oh," said Vann somewhat airily, "I think we can hold out longer than that." - The Best And The Brightest p.637 David Halberstam.

Ellsberg's memoir was published before the Snowdon revelations about the true breadth and depth of NSA foreign and domestic data mining. So there is that additional perspective to ponder. Ellsberg, one of Halberstam's Best and Brightest. A true cold warrior, third in line under McNamara. One of the very best and brightest, who came too late to question Vietnam Policy and ordered the compiling of the Pentagon Papers. The history of Presidential folly, self deception and fear of the primitives and isolationist anti communist("You Lost China") lobby. The Pentagon Papers that Ellsberg released to the press.

So we have two profoundly important themes - the abuse of power and executive efforts to restrict access to any remotely pertinent information "top secret". And, in Ellsberg's memoir the circumstances and thinking that made him break with the establishment and publish that top secret information.

"Plus ca change" as the French say. We seem condemned to deprecate the British Empire while seriously intensifying both that Empire's moral (self righteous) certitudes and its most egregious failings and obtuseness.

The one thing that most impressed me about this book is what Elleberg did NOT say. Did not NEED to say, because he writes so clearly the picture is so clear, in all its awful complexity. To be sure he has his own moral point of view. And he lets this show from time to time. Only, I think, to underscore the fallibility of everyone and anyone involved with or observing the unfolding and unravelling of US Vietnam policy. But, for the most part he has chosen his examples and sequence of events and policy decisions to paint a complete portrait, showing far more than he tells. For me this is brilliant.

Not a jeremiad. Just a cool and personal report for the ages. Which, judging by more recent military adventures, we are doomed to repeat and not learn from. There will always be honorable souls, like George Ball, Vann and several others Ellsberg quotes and acknowledges, who will see to the heart of the matter. And there will always be "primitives" (Roosevelt's term) who will scare enough people enough of the time for this tragedy to be repeated. If it isn't being so already....

Compelling reading.

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Anjela Waterman
Informative
Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2024
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I always found the Pentagon Papers and Watergate intriguing subjects. I actually used this book as a reference in a research paper for a college course about the Vietnam War. I usually don’t read books like this, but I occasionally find a subject I want to learn more about and read as much as I can on it. This book in particular looks at Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst/activist, who leaked what was known as the Pentagon Papers. They revealed how the American people were lied to and mislead into believing false information about the war. I liked that this was written, for lack of better terms, directly from the horse’s mouth. It was indeed informative, but I wasn’t completely immersed the entire time. But if you are interested in reading about any topics I have previously mentioned, I definitely recommend this read.

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George Thomas
Honesty wins, for once!
Reviewed in India on December 5, 2024
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This is an examination of conscience. Of the terrible things done in the name of national security. Of petty, cruel people killing people just because they could, and just because getting out of Vietnam seemed a loss of face.
It is the sad story of a long war started on a faulty premise and continued by President after President, despite the tremendous suffering it caused, and the loss of limbs, mind and life recorded in so many books and films, simply because they did not want to look weak.
Many paid the price for this narcissism.

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Evil Spirit
Does truth matter?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 26, 2024
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I listed ten reasons for buying this book on Kindle:

1) the threat of prison for going against the State
2) Israel and Ukraine 2024
3) the sheer wealth of USA 1960s
4) Social upheaval USA 1960s
5) the Cold-war as a vote winner
6) Trump, Putin, Farage, Johnson
7) secrets
8) truth telling
9) Nixon
10) love being able to see book then read book a minute later.

Number one is very real in this case and not just some throwaway line. Perhaps it is even more radical these days when so much comfort is afforded by towing the line. Was there something in the air back then that encouraged a questioning of the very basis of your life? Education and intelligence come into play now. The feeling that peeling back the facade is not just noble but also necessary.

Current wars also suffer from death in the background whilst the foreground is peppered with ‘issues.’ The Nation State seems to be the most important thing on Earth. Not you or me. They do because they can as a testament to Control. Conscription came to the Vietnam war as it did in Russia to Ukraine.

Yes I envy Mr Ellsberg’s position within the system at that time. I really can’t imagine what it would be like to be so allowed. Yet he kept a clear objective head. It is the Prince Hamlet situation of choosing to go along with things or taking arms against a sea of troubles; notebook in hand.

Provisional five stars.

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J. N. Lawson
Highly Engaging
Reviewed in France on July 22, 2023
Verified Purchase
I remember all too well the events narrated in this book. (It chronicles the events that led to my leaving the US for good.) Ellsberg connects more of the dots between the Pentagon papers, the anti-war movement, his own actions and Nixon’s monarch-like rule over a supposed democracy. It makes clear the abrogation/dereliction of duty by both houses of Congress. Sadly, under Trump, the US has come dangerously close once more to an elected monarchy. A must read for all those who wish to avoid the end of democratic rule. Ellsberg, along with M.L. King, Jr, was one of the towering moral heroes of the late 20th century.

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Matt
Real life spy thriller
Reviewed in Canada on February 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Like many 30-somethings, I was never taught the history of the Vietnam war in school. Plenty about the world wars and the contemporary conflicts, but for whatever reason, a massive gap in mid-century conflicts.

There could really be no better time to read this book than today. The power of the executive branch has lost none of its potency and it is incredible to witness the lack of dignity given to congress let alone the voting public.

Ellsberg is a passionate and driven writer. The book can feel a bit aimless and unbalanced from a plot point perspective but he has so many gems throughout the book and profound insights that you can see a true master of his craft.

I'd rank this more of 4.5 / 5.0 but 4.0 / 5.0 is just cruel. The book is excellent, highly recommended.

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ohneeigenschaften
outstanding memoir
Reviewed in Germany on May 16, 2014
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This is really an outstanding personal memoir of the Cold War and essential reading. There's nothing more to say except to admire the relentless honesty of the enterprise.

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