Daniel Ellsberg, the military analyst-turned-peace activist who revealed that the U.S. government had been lying about its devastating war on Vietnam, died on June 16, four months after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He was 92.

He was best known as the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers to news outlets in 1971, exposing damning information about the Vietnam War that Washington had concealed from the American people and the world. Ellsberg became an outspoken anti-war campaigner who issued stark warnings about nuclear weapons and the detrimental impacts of the military-industrial complex.

In a 2019 interview, Ellsberg said, "My experience with the Pentagon Papers showed that an act of truth-telling, of exposing the realities about which the public had been misled, can indeed help end an unnecessary, deadly conflict." "This example is a lesson applicable to both the nuclear and climate crises we face," he added. "When everything is at stake, it is worth risking one's life or sacrificing one's freedom in order to help bring about radical change."

Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg Dead at 92 | Daniel Ellsberg Has Passed Away. He Left Us a Message

Coverage on Indybay: Federal Building Occupation Rally in SF Features Daniel Ellsberg (2011) | Campaign Kick-Off to Free Whistle-Blower Bradley Manning, Oakland (2010) | Town hall calls for impeachment to save the Constitution (2008) | SF Die-Ins Commemorate Iraq War Anniversary (2007) | Daniel Ellsberg & Raging Grannies: Backstage (2006) | Thousands Rally and March in SF (2006) | Cindy Sheehan joins Thanksgiving Camp Casey anti-war protest in Crawford, Texas (2005)

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