Ellsberg's actions sparked debate about nuclear policy from "summary" of The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg
Ellsberg's decision to leak the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret study of US decision-making in Vietnam, had far-reaching consequences. The publication of these documents in 1971 by The New York Times and other newspapers exposed the lies and deceptions that had led the United States into an unwinnable war, and ignited a fierce debate about government secrecy and the duty of citizens to challenge official narratives. But Ellsberg's actions did not end there. In the years that followed, he became deeply concerned about another existential threat facing humanity: the existence of nuclear weapons. As a former nuclear war planner and insider, Ellsberg knew firsthand the dangers posed by these weapons of mass destruction, and he was troubled by the lack of public awareness and debate about their potential consequences. In an effort to raise awareness and spark public discussion, Ellsberg decided to leak another set of top-secret documents: the so-called "McNamara study," a detailed account of nuclear war planning and policy during the Cold War. This study revealed the shocking extent of the US government's willingness to use nuclear weapons, even in situations where the consequences would be catastrophic. The publication of the McNamara study in 2017, more than 40 years after Ellsberg first copied the documents, reignited the debate about nuclear policy and the need for greater transparency and oversight. Ellsberg's actions forced policymakers and the public to confront the stark reality of nuclear war and the urgent need to reduce the risks of a global catastrophe. Without his courageous decision to challenge the status quo and speak truth to power, the dangerous and destabilizing policies revealed in the McNamara study might have remained hidden from public view.
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