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BACKGROUND The report that would later become famous as the "Pentagon Papers" was the ''United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945–1967: A Study Prepared by the Department of Defense'', a 47-volume, 7,000-page, Top-secret United States Department Of Defense history of the United States' political and military involvement in the Vietnam War from 1945 to 1971. The study was commissioned in 1967 by Robert McNamara , then Secretary Of Defense . McNamara appointed Leslie Gelb , who was also director of Policy Planning and Arms Control for International Security Affairs at The Pentagon , as director of the project. Gelb hired 36 military officers, civilian policy experts, and historians to write the monographs that constituted the content of the project. The 'Papers' included 4,000 pages of actual documents from the 1945–67 period, and 3,000 pages of analysis. THE LEAK Most of the Pentagon Papers were " Leak ed" to Neil Sheehan of '' The New York Times '' in early 1971 by former State Department official Daniel Ellsberg , with his friend Anthony Russo assisting in copying them. The ''Times'' began publishing excerpts as a series of articles on June 13 .1 Controversy and lawsuits followed. On June 29 , U.S. Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska entered 4,100 pages of the Papers into the record of his Subcommittee on Public Buildings and Grounds. These portions of the Papers were subsequently published by Beacon Press , the publishing arm of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations.2 IMPACT OF THE 'PAPERS' Among other things, the Papers revealed that the United States government deliberately expanded its role in the war with airstrikes against Laos , raids off the coast of North Vietnam , and U.S. Marine Corps attacks before the American public was told of them, while President Lyndon B. Johnson was promising not to expand the war. The document widened the Credibility Gap between the U.S. government and the American people, hurting the Richard Nixon administration's war effort. According to Anthony Lewis 's contribution in the coursepack from James Goodale 's (former inhouse counsel to the ''Times'') law school course on ''Old Media, New Media'' the ''Times'' received advice from inhouse counsel not to publish. Goodale counseled otherwise, reasoning that the press had a First Amendment Right to print material of such significance to the people's understanding of government policy. The Nixon administration, however, argued that Ellsberg and Russo had no legal authority to release classified documents and were therefore guilty of a felony ( Treason ) in providing them to the ''Times''. One of the "credibility gaps" that the ''Times'' wrote of was that a consensus to bomb 1971 the ''Times'' declared that the Johnson administration began the last rounds of planning for a bombing campaign in November. Another controversial issue was the implication by the ''Times'' that Johnson had made up his mind to send U.S. combat troops to Vietnam by in 1988, it was revealed that it read "there was a continuing uncertainty as to final decision, which would have to await Secretary McNamara's recommendation and the views of Congressional leaders, particularly the views of Senator [Richard Russell ."John Burke and Fred Greenstein, ''How Presidents Test Reality: Decisions on Vietnam, 1954 and 1965'' (1989) p. 215 n. 30. U.S. GOVERNMENT'S REACTION When the ''Times'' began publishing its series, President Nixon became incensed. His words to National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger that day included "people have gotta be put to the torch for this sort of thing…" and "let's get the son-of-a-bitch in jail."3 After failing to get the ''Times'' to voluntarily stop publishing, Attorney General John Mitchell and President Nixon requested and obtained a federal court injunction that the ''Times'' cease the publication of excerpts. The ''Times'' appealed the injunction that was issued, and the case began (quickly) working its way through the court system. On June 18 , 1971 the '' Washington Post '' began publishing its own series of articles. Ben Bagdikian , a ''Post'' editor, had obtained portions of the Papers from Ellsberg. That day the ''Post'' received a call from the Assistant Attorney General William Rehnquist , asking them to stop publishing the documents. When the ''Post'' refused, the Justice Department sought another injunction. The U.S. District Court judge refused, and the government Appeal ed. On June 26 the Supreme Court agreed to take both cases, merging them into the case '' New York Times Co. V. United States '' (403 US 7134). On June 30 , the Court held in a 6–3 decision that the injunctions were unconstitutional Prior Restraint s and that the government had not met the heavy Burden Of Proof required for prior restraint. The justices wrote nine separate opinions, disagreeing on significant substantive issues. While it was generally seen as a victory for those who claim the First Amendment to the Constitution enshrines an absolute right to Free Speech , many felt it was a lukewarm victory at best, offering little protection for future publishers when claims of National Security are at stake. Thomas Tedford and Dale Herbeck summed up the reaction of editors and publishers at the time: BIBLIOGRAPHY
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