THE POWER OF THE MEDIA
Over the course of the Vietnam War, the way in which information was presented to the American public played a major role in the sentiment regarding the war. When the Pentagon Papers were leaked in 1971 by Daniel Ellsberg and eloquently published by Neil Sheehan in the New York Times, the power of the media regarding the sentiment of the American public surpassed that of the US government. Thus, this event marked a change in the relationship between government and the press-- from this point on, they were to operate on independent agendas.
Furthermore, the outcome of the Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. United States determined that the rights outlined in the First Amendment which constitute freedom of the press were valid in this instance in the leak of government information, thus a major victory was won by the press against censorship by the federal government. [7]
DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE LEAK OF THE PAPERS
Daniel Ellsberg was working for the Department of Defense in 1971 when he had decided that the Pentagon Papers report had been hiding too much information regarding the Vietnam War from the American public for far too long. As an anti-war advocate himself, Ellsberg could not stand to tolerate the secrecy any longer.[8]
Howard Zinn, a close friend to Ellsberg and anti-war, writes about the encounter he had with Ellsberg in which Ellsberg divulged his plan and his reasonings behind it. Zinn writes, "it was clear to [Ellsberg] that the United States had lied again and again to the American people. He decided that the papers constituted a history that the public had a right to know". [9]
Ellsberg had devised a plan to photocopy the entire report, then distribute it to Senators known to be against the war. However, in the end, each Senator refused to publicize the Papers out of fear. Thus, Ellsberg contacted the New York Times and the Washington Post, and soon after, the Pentagon Papers had made headlines. [10]
Ellsberg fought a legal battle in the aftermath of the release, but ultimately won the support of the American people and was honored for his courage and integrity in exposing the truth. It wasn't until 2011 that the Papers were fully declassified. [11]
NEIL SHEEHAN AND THE PUBLICATION OF THE PAPERS IN THE NEW YORK TIMES
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Sheehan's publication of "The Covert War," the first publication including the Pentagon Papers, outlined for the reader the major incidents in which the government had been untruthful regarding the Vietnam War.
These topics include Truman's decision to provide military aid to France in 1950, acts of covert war beginning under Eisenhower in 1954, the supporting of a coup to overthrow Diem in 1963 by the Kennedy Administration, the falsehood regarding the portrayal of the Tonkin Gulf Incidents in 1964 under The Johnson Administration, and Operation Rolling Thunder, largely concealed by The Johnson Administration. [12]
JOHN F. KENNEDY'S INTERVIEW CONCERNING THE WAR
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According to Kennedy in this interview, the U.S. is sending "advisors" to aid in the war, and that the war is primarily between North and South Vietnam without any heavy US intervention. This could not be farther from the truth at this point in time, as ground troops are fighting the North Vietnamese alongside the South.
However, US citizens are left under the false impression that the US involvement in Vietnam is more casual and that the situation is not dangerous. [13]
RICHARD NIXON'S REACTION TO THE LEAK​ OF THE PENTAGON PAPERS IN 1971​​​
This recording of a phone call between Nixon and Alexander Haig captures the first time that Nixon is notified of the security breach through the leak of the Pentagon Papers report.[15]
LYNDON B. JOHNSON'S SPEECH ON THE DOMINO THEORY
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“But out of the gobbledygook, comes a very clear thing: [unclear] you can't trust the government; you can't believe what they say; and you can't rely on their judgment; and the – the implicit infallibility of presidents, which has been an accepted thing in America, is badly hurt by this, because it shows that people do things the President wants to do even though it's wrong, and the President can be wrong”.
- H.R. Haldeman [16]
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Lyndon B. Johnson's speech emphasises one major reason for US engagement in Vietnam: National Security. This, of course is based on the Domino Theory that if Vietnam falls to the Communist North, neighboring countries will also fall to Communism. [14]
Nixon was not so much concerned with the legal battle as he was with public opinion. This is evident through the phone call with Colson as Nixon prepares to confront the press and wants to make these two things very clear:
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"It's the Kennedy-Johnson papers" and that "We have the larger responsibility, to maintain the integrity of government"
-Richard Nixon [17]
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