Pentagon Papers

The Pentagon Papers are a classified U.S. government study documenting political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Their unauthorized publication in 1971 exposed contradictions between official statements and internal assessments.

New York Times Co. v. United States: A 1971 U.S. Supreme Court case that rejected the government’s attempt to block newspapers from publishing the Pentagon Papers. The ruling established that the government had not met the heavy burden required for prior restraint.
United States Department of Defense: The federal executive department responsible for coordinating and supervising the U.S. armed forces. The department commissioned and housed the study.
Vietnam War: A conflict from the 1950s to 1975 in which North Vietnam and its allies fought South Vietnam and its principal supporter, the United States. The study traces U.S. involvement in this conflict across successive administrations.
Robert McNamara: U.S. secretary of defense from 1961 to 1968 and the official who commissioned the Vietnam study. He ordered the project in 1967 to document U.S. decision-making in Vietnam.
Beacon Press edition of the Pentagon Papers: A 1971 four-volume publication of the Pentagon Papers issued by Boston’s Beacon Press. It made the documents available in book form after newspapers faced injunctions.
Daniel Ellsberg: A former U.S. military analyst who leaked the Pentagon Papers to journalists in 1971. His decision to copy and disclose the study set publication in motion.
RAND Corporation: An American research organization founded in 1948 to inform policy and military planning. Daniel Ellsberg copied the documents while working at RAND.
First Indochina War: A conflict from 1946 to 1954 in which Vietnamese forces fought French colonial rule in Indochina. The study begins its account with U.S. involvement during France’s war in Vietnam.
Leslie H. Gelb: An American political scientist and government official who directed the Pentagon study that became the Pentagon Papers. He organized the research project and its production.
The New York Times publication of the Pentagon Papers: The newspaper’s June 1971 publication of excerpts from the classified Vietnam study. Its first installment brought the leak into national news and triggered the lawsuit.

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