The book Most Dangerous Daniel Ellsberg and the secret history of the Vietnam War is the biography of Daniel Ellsberg and it talks about his contribution to the Vietnam War. The author is Steve Sheinkin and he shows us in his book how Daniel Ellsberg evolved from a committed "Cold warrior" to an antiwar activist, and why and how he leaked the pentagon papers- "seven thousand pages of documentary evidence of lying, by four presidents and their administrations over twenty-three years"-- which led to the Watergate scandal, the fall of the Nixon administration, and finally the end of the Vietnam war. The book starts with introducing Daniel Ellsberg from his high school, becoming a marine navy, his first wife Carol Cummings and their two children Robert and Mary, getting his first job as insider (involvement with government jobs) in the Pentagon papers, meeting with his second wife Patricia Marx, going to Vietnam, attending peace conferences, protesting in public (not many times), becoming antiwar activist, copying seven thousand papers from the Pentagon papers, leaking the information to the New York times and all over US newspaper publishers, becoming the most dangerous man in America, hiding from the police and the FBI, surrendering to the police, dealing with the Court case, Watergate and his house break in, Court dismissal, becoming famous, president Nixon reassigning from office, and last the accomplishment of his goal to end the war. The Vietnam war ended in 1975 after the election of president Gerald Ford. Lyndon Johnson said, "I'm not going to be the first American president to lose a war".[pg:319] Richard Nixon said, "I'm will not be the first president of the United States to lose a war."[pg:319] Daniel Ellsberg " for this I'm going to do ninety nine years( referring to going to jail to leak the Pentagon Paper and their secret)."[pg:280] "In a way, each accomplished his goal. On June 30, 1975, when North Vietnamese troops crashed through the gates of the presidential palace in Saigon and raised their flag above the city, Lyndon Johnson lay in Texas cemetery. Nixon was home in California, in disgrace. It fell to Gerald Ford to inform the Americans people that the country had lot its first war. The evacuation has been completed," Ford told the nation. This action closes a chapter in the American experience." [pg:319] Here is comments about the book: "Without a wasted word or scene, and with the timing and prowess of a writer of a thrillers. Sheinkin takes on a spectacularly complex story- and makes it comprehensible to teen readers.... Sheinkin has unparalleled gift of for synthesizing story and bringing American history to life; here, he is outdone even himself." -The Horn Book, starred review "Easily the best study of the Vietnam war available for teen reader." -kirkus, starred review "Powerful and thought- provoking." -Booklist, starred review "Detailed but fast-paced and fascinating.' -VOYA, starred review "Concise, accessible, and riveting....read[s] like the stuff of spy novels and will keep readers racing forward." -Publishers Weekly, starred review This book we had just summarized matters because it tells us a lot about Vietnam war and why the US was involved in it which is a confusing topic. So the Book talks about how Daniel Ellsberg contribution stopped the Vietnam war(partially) and informed the American citizen of a war that they were not informed of and they were losing their families on it. It also teaches young reader about the Vietnam war and about governance. The most valuable idea about this book is that "The government should not be allowed to self govern the nation" and a question the book "How should one act when the consequences are uncertain". The book matters still today because it easily can teach students about Vietnam war and about the US government from the time of president Truman to president Gerald Ford. I recommend this book to be read by whoever is interested in learning about the Vietnam war and about Governance.
1 Comment
The book I am reading is called Most Dangerous which is based about a biography of Daniel Ellsberg and his contribution to the Vietnam war, as he was known to be a great antiwar activist.The book also contains how leaked the secrets of the Pentagon Paper to the New York Times. He believed that the information contained in the Pentagon Papers should be available for all Americans. He opposed the Vietnam and the idea of president Johnson and Nixon. The book also contains about how he become popular for his antiwar movement and the most dangerous man in America. He was arrested more than 25 times and still kept going.
Our current connection to the book is that the story within in the book which is Daniel Ellsberg's story are still alive and well to this current days. But the story raises a big question which is "government must keep some information secret in order to function- but how much secret is too much? When, if ever are citizens justified in leaking information that the government has deemed secret? Suppose a citizen leaks information that exposes government wrongdoing, but breaks the law in doing so should the person be dragged into court or hailed as a hero? Here is a brief example of the question the book raises and explains how the question is connected to the current days. The history of Daniel Ellsberg repeats again approximately forty-two years later and also connect to the question that the book raises. It occurred in 2013 when Edward Snowden, A former employee of the CIA, fled to Hong Kong with a stack of flash drives containing classified NSA documents. Document that detailed a vast system of surveillance the American public had no idea existed. The US government, explained Snowden, was secretly monitoring the phone and internet activities of millions of Americans. Although the original objective was to detect terrorist plots, but now the NSA was raking in and storing data on citizens not suspected of any crime. Snowden himself had been part of of this system of domestic spying, but now he wanted it exposed. Snowden told the world " I do not want to live in a world where everything i do and say is recorded" from his hotel room and continued on " That is not something I am willing to support or live under." The American law enforcement agencies were eager to arrest the leaker and haul him to face charges for violating the Espionage Act. The press started calling him "The most wanted man in the world". Snowden jumped on a plane to Moscow where he was granted asylum by the Russian government, out of reach of US authorities. Debate raged all over the US. Was Snowden a hero for blowing the whistle on a perilous threat to the basic liberties guaranteed to all Americans? Was he a villain for stealing secrets and undermining the government's ability to protect the public? This is the most debated question that the book raise and still argued today. Historical Connection-Vietnam War
The book I am reading is called “Most Dangerous” it is based on the historical conflict of Vietnam war. The book is the biography of Daniel Ellsberg and his connection to the Vietnam war. Daniel Ellsberg is still alive and lives in Chicago. Daniel is American activist who released the secret of the Pentagon paper. The Pentagon papers is a United States Department of Defense history of the United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Daniel Ellsberg is one of the most intelligent people that the pentagon paper choose to work for them. The book shows how the pentagon paper make decision and connect with the American commanders in Vietnam. The storyline of the book starts with the early life of Daniel Ellsberg while he was in high school through the ultimately contribution to the end of both the Vietnam conflict and the presidency of Richard Nixon. Daniel Ellsberg view of the Vietnam war was different from all Americans especially president Johnson at that time. Daniel Ellsberg become a leading American military strategist who leaked the secret of the Pentagon Paper to the New York Times and the public. Daniel became popular in America for his anti-war movement and also the most dangerous man in America who the FBI looked for. He had this belief that the U.S was responsible for the Vietnam war and opposed their ideas. As the Vietnam War dragged on, with more than 500,000 U.S. troops in Vietnam by 1968, Daniel Ellsberg who had worked on the study came to oppose the war, and decided that the information contained in the Pentagon Papers should be available to the American public. Daniel was arrested in Boston Los Angeles for contributing to Vietnam war and publishing the secret o f the pentagon papers. Introduction
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AuthorHI I am Nimo an 8th grade student In Martin Middle School. Archives |