Ellsberg, Daniel. Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers. New York: Viking, 2002. 498 pages.

In this autobiography, Daniel Ellsberg tells of his transition from a Vietnam-policy insider to an antiwar activist. He went from Harvard to become an economist at Rand, and by 1964 was a Pentagon policy wonk with all the top clearances. Then it was off to Vietnam as a State Department advisor and observer. Ellsberg was sufficiently gung-ho in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, that he went on combat patrols even when he didn't have to. By 1969 he was at Rand again with his clearances, but less able than before to justify U.S. policy in Vietnam. After getting to know some antiwar people, Ellsberg had what might be described as a conversion experience. In 1971 he gave the secret Pentagon Papers to various newspapers. At his trial in 1973, the charges were dropped when it was revealed that Nixon's plumbers had gathered evidence against him illegally. Since 1973, Ellsberg has been a consistent and important critic of U.S. foreign policy in his speeches and writings.

The only mystery in this book is why it took Ellsberg so long to figure out that he was on the wrong side. Most of the world had it figured out by 1967, and they didn't have Ellsberg's access to all those top-secret lies. A power-hungry Kissinger is easy to understand, while Ellsberg seems more intellectually honest, if somewhat elitist. Then again, late is better than never, so it is not unreasonable to accept Ellsberg's account at face value.
ISBN 0-670-03030-9

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