Pentagon Papers

The Pentagon papers was popular name for a 7,000-page top-secret United States government report about the history of the Government's internal planning and policy concerning the Vietnam War. These documents became famous when an State Department officer Daniel Ellsberg gave these paper to the to his friend Neil Sheehan, a New York time reporter, which was later publist in 1971. The document revel a 47-volume, 7,000-page, top-secret Department of Defense history of the United States' politico-military involvement in the war in Vietnam, from 1945 to 1967. The Pentagon Papers revealed many things, among of them, that the US deliberately expanded its war with airstrikes against Laos, coastal raids of North Vietnam, and U.S. Marine Corps attacks — before President Lyndon B. Johnson informed the American public, though promising to not expand the war. The revelations widened the credibility gap between the U.S. government and its people, which hurted Nixon administration's war effort. Anthony Lewis a writer for the New York Time said that the press had a First Amendment right to publish information significant to the people's understanding of their government's policy.Yet, President Nixon argued that Ellsberg and Russo were guilty of felony treason , because they had no authority to publish classified documents.

Another controversy that was in the Pentagon paper was that President Johnson sent combat troops to Vietnam by July 17, 1965, after pretending to consult his advisors on July 21–27, per the cable stating that Deput Secretary of Defense Cyrus Vance informs McNamara that President had approved 34 Battalion Plan and will try to push through reserve call-up. In 1988, when that cable was declassified, it was revealed that: there was a continuing uncertainty as to Johnson's final decision, which would have to await Secretary McNamara's recommendation and the views of Congressional leaders, particularly the views of Senator Richard Russell.

When the governer found out they sue the New York Time on June 26,1971, the Supreme Court agreed to hear both cases, consolidating to the 'New York Times Co. v. United States'. On June 30, 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court decided, that the injunctions were unconstitutional prio restraint and that the Government failed didnt have enough to proof that the injunction were unconstitutional prio restraint. The New York time won case on First Amendment free speech absolutists, others people felt that it was a mild legal victory of little protection for publishers against national security claims to prior restraint of publishing. The Pentagon paper was some of the reason why the people were mad at the Vietnam war.

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