Pentagon Papers

Cultural  

1. A classified study of the Vietnam War that was carried out by the Department of Defense. An official of the department, Daniel Ellsberg, gave copies of the study in 1971 to the New York Times and Washington Post. The Supreme Court upheld the right of the newspapers to publish the documents. In response, President Richard Nixon ordered some members of his staff, afterward called the “plumbers,” to stop such “leaks” of information. The “plumbers,” among other activities, broke into the office of Ellsberg's psychiatrist, looking for damaging information on him.

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Example Sentences

Daniel Ellsberg’s leaks of the Pentagon Papers occurred more than 50 years ago.

From Salon • Jun. 30, 2025

The series compellingly addresses the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the baseless claims of William Westmoreland about impending victory, and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers.

From Slate • Apr. 30, 2025

Members of her board most certainly did not support publishing portions of the Pentagon Papers.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2025

In 1971, he joined Mr. Rosenthal, Mr. Sulzberger and other Times leaders in deciding to publish the Pentagon Papers, the secret Defense Department study of American duplicity in Vietnam.

From New York Times • May 20, 2024

That meant relying on friends to somehow get the Pentagon Papers to another newspaper.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin