In Memoriam: Daniel Ellsberg 1931-2023

Daniel Ellsberg is one of the most notable whistleblowers in the history of the United States. A former United States military analyst, blew the whistle on U.S. Government misconduct in the Vietnam War by leaking the Pentagon Papers. The Pentagon Papers revealed that, early on, the government had knowledge that the war as then resourced could most likely not be won.

Following his whistleblowing, Ellsberg faced charges under the Espionage Act, a law that has continuously been used to prosecute intelligence whistleblowers. Due to governmental misconduct and illegal evidence gathering the charges were later dropped.

In the decades following his whistleblowing, Ellsberg used his platform to advocate for other whistleblowers. In 2017, Ellsberg appeared alongside Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto founding partner Stephen M. Kohn in a Washington Post video feature “What is a whistleblower.”