EP 963 Blowing the Whistle on the Vietnam Debacle

Whistleblowers in our society our either considered heroes or traitors.  In any event they have a massive impact in our history.  For those who compile such lists of modern-day whistleblowers often Mark Felt, Deep Throat from Watergate is number two and Daniel Ellsberg, the defense analyst who revealed the Pentagon Papers, is number one.  Ellsberg’s son, Michael Ellsberg, and Daniel Ellsberg’s long-time assistant, Jan Thomas edited Daniel Ellsberg’s unpublished works into a new book, entitled “Truth and Consequence: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope.” Daniel Ellsberg is best known for leaking the Pentagon Papers regarding the truths behind our ill-fated involvement in Vietnam. However, as a perusal of this new book demonstrates, he was a man with a curious mind who devoted much of his long lifetime to raising concerns about nuclear annihilation and the ways that the human species may indeed bring on its own demise.  My discussion with his son, Michael, will explore the depth of his thinking and what we can all learn from a man I consider to be a hero for what he did and the warnings he tried to convey throughout his life.

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