Rating: 
Summary: Poor, poor Danny
Review: I met Danny in 1971 when he spoke at St. Joseph's College in Philadelphia, invited by the Theology Dept. no less, even though he was an admitted thief and oath breaker. He was quite nervous, and very defensive, especially when I dropped the names of some of the people that he had worked with at the Pentagon, including my father, who was his boss for a short time after he was fired by John T. McNaughton, or "re-assigned" as he put it in his book, after he viewed McNaughton's personal "Eye's Only" file. About 1969 or maybe '70, I remember a dinner party at our house where his name was mentioned by my father, and as the various guests who all knew him talked about his marraige to Barbara Marx, which seemed to impress them, they all had their little Danny stories, which tended to focus on finding something for him to do. He was late with his assignments, or didn't do them, sometimes coming to my father for help at the last minute. He was thought to be unstable, and "headed for a nervous breakdown." This was BEFORE the Pentagon Papers made him a household name.
Everybody needs to realize that he was a little fish, relagated to do busy work, and had the morals of an ferral cat. What the book fails to mention, besides the names of the people who really worked with him and had his number, like Roger Mandelstam, and Bill Smith, was that his former boss McNaughton who secretly opposed the buildup in Viet Nam, and whose confidence he betrayed, was killed mysteriously as the military plane he was riding in took off, and to the best of my knowledge, has never been investigated at all.
Now there might be an interesting story.
Rating: 
Summary: This Book Is Back and Should Be
Review: I watched Mr. Ellsberg debate Mr. Cristol on C-Span about two months ago and had to have this book to see what all the fuss was about. Now I know. Secrets is about a guy that was in the loop and suddenly saw the loop as it really was. A fabrication of lies to the American people in order to follow an idiological agenda that would lead American into a war that we did not need nor want. 54,000 dead Americans later the war grinded to a halt mainly because of one man showing enough courage to uncover the lie. His name is Daniel Ellsberg and this is his story. With the lies of WMD, American soldiers dying everyday, corporations with close ties to the Bush Administration getting billion dollar no bid government contracts to rebuild Iraq, and the secrecy surrounding Bush's regime we need someone to step forward and tell the truth. This is a must read and whether you agree or disagree this book has the history and facts to keep you wondering about our government for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Patriot
Review: I will start with a quote: A popular government, without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.
James Madison, drafter of the first amendment Once a self-described cold warrior, Daniel Ellsberg, a published expert in game theory who holds Harvard Ph.D. in Economics, has also been an analyst for the government and the Rand Corporation and, most significantly, the man who released the Pentagon Papers, which ultimately brought down the Nixon administration and forced the US out of Vietnam. In Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg finally tells his story of one of the most important periods in US History and the central role he played in it. Starting with his analysis of the Tonkin Gulf incidents, which led to the increased involvement of the US in Vietnam in 1961, Ellsberg leads the reader through an insider's tour of the intelligence community, the upper echelons of the administration and even the in-country conditions of Vietnam during the war . He does this on his way to explaining how he went from supporting the war as a way to prevent nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union to risking life in prison to leak the 7,000 pages of Top Secret documents that came to be known at the Pentagon Papers in a desperate attempt to stop the destruction both of US soldiers and the people and country of Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers themselves reveal the systematic deception of the American people about the scope of our actual and intended involvement in the Vietnam war, a history of deception which actually predates formal US involvement. Secrets reveals far more. Secrets reads like a Tom Clancy novel in some respects: while the Nixon administration is ordering G. Gordon Liddy and the Watergate Plumbers to steal confidential records from Ellsberg's psychoanalyst in California and to mount a physically debilitating attack on Ellsberg at a public appearance in Washington, Ellsberg and his friends are providing the New York Times and other newspapers with the Pentagon Papers. As subsequent newspapers are blocked by Justice Department injunctions from publishing what Ellsberg has provided them, Ellsberg and others courageously provide copies of the Top Secret documents to other media outlets. One of the most disturbing revelations of Secrets is the lengths to which the US Government went to try to in trying silence Ellsberg and to continue its known-to-be-futile efforts in Vietnam. John Mitchell, Nixon's Attorney General, even tried to override the 1st Amendment for the first time in history, filing an injunction against the New York Times and three other papers for printing the Pentagon Papers at all. Aside from being an important historical document, Secrets is a nearly confessional look into the heart and soul of a man who risked all he had for the sake of the country he believed in. It is a tale of integrity and responsibility, in the face of overwhelming resistance and power and the threat of up to 115 years in federal prison, and a tale about a man who has indirectly affected the lives of every person in the country and our understanding of our own government. Since I opened this review with a quote, it is fitting I should close with one. Hugo Black, writing for the majority of the Supreme Court, wrote these words, which apply to Daniel Ellsberg as surely as they apply to the newspaper who bought the lawsuit: And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell. In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly.
Hugo Black, New York Times Co. v United States
Rating:
Summary: Patriot
Review: I will start with a quote: A popular government, without popular information or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own governors, must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives.
James Madison, drafter of the first amendment Once a self-described cold warrior, Daniel Ellsberg, a published expert in game theory who holds Harvard Ph.D. in Economics, has also been an analyst for the government and the Rand Corporation and, most significantly, the man who released the Pentagon Papers, which ultimately brought down the Nixon administration and forced the US out of Vietnam. In Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, Daniel Ellsberg finally tells his story of one of the most important periods in US History and the central role he played in it. Starting with his analysis of the Tonkin Gulf incidents, which led to the increased involvement of the US in Vietnam in 1961, Ellsberg leads the reader through an insider's tour of the intelligence community, the upper echelons of the administration and even the in-country conditions of Vietnam during the war . He does this on his way to explaining how he went from supporting the war as a way to prevent nuclear conflict with the Soviet Union to risking life in prison to leak the 7,000 pages of Top Secret documents that came to be known at the Pentagon Papers in a desperate attempt to stop the destruction both of US soldiers and the people and country of Vietnam. The Pentagon Papers themselves reveal the systematic deception of the American people about the scope of our actual and intended involvement in the Vietnam war, a history of deception which actually predates formal US involvement. Secrets reveals far more. Secrets reads like a Tom Clancy novel in some respects: while the Nixon administration is ordering G. Gordon Liddy and the Watergate Plumbers to steal confidential records from Ellsberg's psychoanalyst in California and to mount a physically debilitating attack on Ellsberg at a public appearance in Washington, Ellsberg and his friends are providing the New York Times and other newspapers with the Pentagon Papers. As subsequent newspapers are blocked by Justice Department injunctions from publishing what Ellsberg has provided them, Ellsberg and others courageously provide copies of the Top Secret documents to other media outlets. One of the most disturbing revelations of Secrets is the lengths to which the US Government went to try to in trying silence Ellsberg and to continue its known-to-be-futile efforts in Vietnam. John Mitchell, Nixon's Attorney General, even tried to override the 1st Amendment for the first time in history, filing an injunction against the New York Times and three other papers for printing the Pentagon Papers at all. Aside from being an important historical document, Secrets is a nearly confessional look into the heart and soul of a man who risked all he had for the sake of the country he believed in. It is a tale of integrity and responsibility, in the face of overwhelming resistance and power and the threat of up to 115 years in federal prison, and a tale about a man who has indirectly affected the lives of every person in the country and our understanding of our own government. Since I opened this review with a quote, it is fitting I should close with one. Hugo Black, writing for the majority of the Supreme Court, wrote these words, which apply to Daniel Ellsberg as surely as they apply to the newspaper who bought the lawsuit: And paramount among the responsibilities of a free press is the duty to prevent any part of the government from deceiving the people and sending them off to distant lands to die of foreign fevers and foreign shot and shell. In my view, far from deserving condemnation for their courageous reporting, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and other newspapers should be commended for serving the purpose that the Founding Fathers saw so clearly.
Hugo Black, New York Times Co. v United States
Rating: 
Summary: Disagree with Ellsberg's politics, but very engaging
Review: It is definitely not hyperbole to say the Daniel Ellsberg possesses one of the most brilliant minds to be found in American politics over the last 50 years. Ellsberg is even more impressive by that fact that he was not limited to 'ivory tower' foreign policy as a professor or a research analyst. In addition to attaining a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard, Daniel Ellsberg served as a Marine Officer, a military advisor in Vietnam, and Pentagon official. This diversity of academic, policy and combat experience lends Ellsberg unparalleled credibility when speaking on matters of foreign policy. "SECRETS" is a memoir that tells the story of how a hard core "Cold Warrior" became the most influential antiwar activist and a key figure in the Watergate scandal. At first glance, its size (500+ pages) and dry topic may seem very intimidating, but one will soon find the book very engaging. Ellsberg's narrative style makes the book at once autobiography, history, policy analysis, and moral lesson. I picked up this book at the library, knowing nothing about Vietnam, Daniel Ellsberg, or The Pentagon Papers. Although the book is written from an antiwar view, many of Ellsberg's arguments about what was wrong with the Vietnam War, seem well formulated even if you disagree with him. He presents very interesting moral questions about whether and interventionist war is ever moral. One criticism about the book is that Ellsberg never takes time out to consider the morality (or lack thereof) of the communist forces or their Soviet patrons. I was a little disappointed by his in-depth criticism of American policies with regard to Indochina, without even a cursory criticism of North Vietnamese and Soviet policies.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding Hidden American History
Review: Like many others I was sucked into the Vietnam war against
my will. I paid for what I thought was LBJ's war with my
blood and sanity. What "SECRETS" does is to fill in the
blanks with the background of the political agendas of a
number of presidential administrations. "SECRETS" validates suspicions some of us have had for more than thirty years. "SECRETS" is the memoir of one person, Daniel
Ellsberg, who took a stand on the side of humanity and
morality in an effort to end the Vietnam war and topple
the corrupt and insatiable desire for ultimate power that
would have been Richard M. Nixon's had it not been for
the release of the Pentagon Papers. "SECRETS" is a story of patriotism at its finest, where
one man risked everything in an effort to disclose the
truth about power and war conducted by the United States Government. Reading "SECRETS" exposes war for what it
really is, a manipulative tool of big business and
government order. If more Americans would read this book they would become
aware enough to argue whether or not we should ever
engage in the brutality and ignorance of war again. "SECRETS" should be required reading for anyone in
America who believes him/herself to be a patriot. Bob Algie
Rating:
Summary: A life changer
Review: Many have written more eloquently than I can about the contents of the book.
I am 62 and a veteran. I was a hometown fighter pilot in the Air National Guard in the 60s and 70s. I was, at the time, eager to go to Viet Nam and be a "real" fighter pilot. We were flying planes that were obsolete, even back then, and my unit was never called up. I look back on my eagerness for war as the folly of youth. I am now extremely thankful that I did not go. Mr. Ellsberg's book has changed my way of thinking about Viet Nam in particular, and my government in general. Realizing my delusions about the execrable behavior of my government over generations has been a bitter discovery. It is said that the truth will set you free. It doesn't say that this freedom will bring happiness. Having said that, I will still say "Thank you, Dr. Ellsberg". I recommend "Secrets" to all who seek the truth.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly written eye opener
Review: Moves fast with lots of detail. I wish all authors and editors put as much time as Ellsberg obviously has into writing and organizing his book. Not only is this book packed with information but it's put together in such a way that you can barely put it down - I've found this to be very rare in any non-fiction book. Some highlights:
- In 1961 Ellsberg reads a new National Intelligence Estimate that reveals that "the missle gap favoring the Soviets was a fantasy". Which should have had far more impact on our arms buildup than it appeared to.
- Ellsberg asks: "If existing general [nuclear] war plans were carried out as planned how many people would be killed in the Soviet Union and China alone?" Answer from the JCS (1961): between 275 and 325 million in just the USSR and China with 100 million or so more in Eastern Europe. Neutral nations (particularly Finland who would be virtually exterminated) would be decimated just from fallout. Total deaths from our attack would be from five to six hundred million. NATO and the US (in areas outside NATO) continue to maintain a first-use nuclear strike policy (i.e. if an enemy attacks with conventional weapons US/NATO policy allows us to be the first to go Nuclear).
- Ellsberg mentions how LBJ's closest advisors (particularly McGeorge Bundy, George Ball and Clark Clifford) told him that the US could not win the Vietnam war as early as 1965. Clifford (with suprisingly common prescience) foresaw nothing but "catastrophe". Perhaps the most interesting revelation I came away with is how routine it was for Presidents and top members of their administrations - to lie. Ellsberg writes about the commonly held idea that increased public knowledge of a president's policies only creates problems. He mentions a time when he was asked to draft 4 or 5 possible lies that McNamara could give the press to redirect them away from the truth. At one point during the Nixon administration someone leaked information about what was actually going on (to the fury of the White House) but it was subsequently denied by the Pentagon and received little attention.
The pattern of lies is almost amusing given the outcry over former President Clinton's lie about having sex with Monica Lewinsky. Seems very minor compared with the continual and systematic lying over the course of 5 administrations about the Vietnam War. If nothing else I will never again be among those who assume that just because it comes from the President it must be the truth.
Rating:
Summary: All Ellsberg would want you to know
Review: One of the photographs in this book shows Ellsberg, with the rapt attention of 14 children, holding a scarf. The caption says, "My knack for magic tricks always worked with kids in Vietnam." It is on the same page as a picture of "Randy Kehler giving the talk at Haverford College on August 28, 1969, that opened my eyes to the possibilities of resisting war." The big question, who looks less like a fool? 14 kids who don't know what is going on, or the portrait of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) on the wall behind Randy, or Ellsberg having lunch with Henry Kissinger at San Clemente in August 1970, after Kissinger complemented Ellsberg on the Lowell Lecture series, "The Art of Coercion" which Ellsberg had given to Kissinger's seminar at Harvard in 1959, when Ellsberg got to explain Hitler: "Hitler had deliberately cultivated among his adversaries the impression of his own irrational unpredictability. He couldn't be counted on not to carry out a threat to do something crazy, mutually destructive." (p. 344). Secret activities generate an aura, THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT, which Daniel Ellsberg's book, SECRETS, is all about. Early in the book, on pages 7 to 20, the cable traffic of August 4, 1964, from Captain John J. Herrick in the Gulf of Tonkin, is explained as Ellsberg attempted to figure out what it meant from the Pentagon. The information provided is far less complete than in TONKIN GULF AND THE ESCALATION OF THE VIETNAM WAR by Edwin E. Moise, which analyzed the radar "skunks" picked up by the destroyers and the confusion caused by their inability to decide whether there had been three or five `(The fact that "N," "O," and "P" never got within twenty miles of the destroyers has been downplayed or completely ignored by most of the authors who have interpreted these skunks as North Vietnamese PT boats waiting in ambush for the destroyers.)' (Moise, p. 120). Mostly I think Ellsberg is wrong, as information coming from the government is typically wrong in ways that will protect intelligence gathering sources and methods, which really tried to maintain the illusion that everything the North Vietnamese had done had been unprovoked. I don't believe "intercepted North Vietnamese cables supposedly confirming an August 4 attack actually referred to the attack on August 2." (Ellsberg, p. 10). It seems far more likely to me that North Vietnamese cables confirming an attack on August 4 actually referred to a covert OPLAN 34A maritime operation 70 miles from the Maddox and the Turner Joy, about which McNamara testified to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1968, "that the President had announced publicly on 3 August that our patrol would continue and consist of two destroyers. It is difficult to believe, in the face of that announcement, and its obvious purpose of asserting our right to freedom of the seas, that even the North Vietnamese could connect the patrol of the Maddox and the Turner Joy with ... action taking place some 70 miles away." (Moise, pp. 104-5). The secret circus stunt interpretation that I'm inclined to believe was that it was American intelligence which, interpreting cable intercepts of North Vietnamese reactions to the covert operation, convinced Captain Herrick 70 miles away that he was about to be attacked. Ellsberg's book, SECRETS, has an index which lists a lot of people and incidents, but I found it a bit confusing on the major questions of our lifetimes. Checking out "Kennedy, John F.: assassination of, 194, 272," the emotional outpourings on pages listed seem to apply more to Bobby than to JFK. "Being his own man in the Senate after losing his brother, and with his father disabled, must have had a lot to do with it." (p. 194) He quotes Bobby on Nam, "We didn't want to lose in Vietnam or get out. We wanted to win if we could. But my brother was determined never to send ground combat units to Vietnam." (pp. 194-5). A lot of people concerned about Nam in 1961, when the number of American military troops assigned there started to increase into the thousands, had trouble seeing a distinction between advisers and soldiers actually taking part in a war, and the distinction was not that American troops would only fire if they were fired upon. On the other assassinations in November, 1963, Ellsberg wrote: Lansdale left Vietnam, and Diem and his brother were eventually assassinated in a U.S.-authorized coup, in which, ironically, Lansdale's former CIA team member Lucien Conein was the liaison between the coup plotters and the American ambassador, Henry Cabot Lodge, who strongly favored the coup. (p. 99).
Rating:
Summary: Top notch
Review: p83... I noted where the book went from where the editors had too much control (I assume they put in the attempts a short bios on key figures where are so disjointed from the rest of the book), to where the story takes on a life of its own. I expected a dry, academic read, but was pleasantly surprised that I had misjudged Ellsberg's capabilities as a writer and storyteller. Ellsberg does a masterful job of presenting a lot of "inside" information, and making it accessible to the lay-person. The book is not overloaded with governmental alphabet soup as are too many military/political accounts. Better than presenting the information, Ellsberg takes us on a journey--his personal journey--tying together many threads of detail into a single story, and allows the reader to share the "aha!" (perhaps the "oh, no!") he must have felt as he unraveled the events forcing his hand to leak Top Secret information. Having read "In Retrospect" a few years ago, I'm left wanting to revisit that work as there are disparities between the two "I was there" accounts which, if my memory serves, may simply be a result of how McNamara was "spinning" the facts--but why are we still "spinning" now... From this story, Ellsberg provocatively takes us beyond the Pentagon Papers to their impact on the world's most important personalities. I would very much like to see a sequel to this book which investigates the implications of the Pentagon Papers in more depth. Whatever the first 80ish pages lacked is more than made up by the rest of the story.
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