FEATURE
Forty years ago he blew the whistle on shady government dealings by releasing the top-secret governmental study known as the Pentagon Papers to the media. And now, Daniel Ellsberg is coming to FAU.
The former United States military analyst is coming to give a lecture and discussion on the recent Wikileaks activity, as well as the importance of freedom of speech in America’s democratic system.
“The discussion will evolve around Vietnam and Ellsberg’s role with closing the war and why he decided to risk his future … to release the documents in a way that basically could have ruined his career, landed him in jail, and have these dramatic repercussions,” said Ken Osgood, associate professor of history at FAU.
Osgood has been working to bring Ellsberg to campus for some time now, and this year the timing was perfect.
“It just so happens that this year is the 40th anniversary of when the pentagon papers began to appear in the press, and it just so happened that in the past few months the whole Wikileaks thing blew up, and I didn’t foresee that happenings so, now his [Ellsberg] presence here would be so tremendously relevant.”
Famous for his controversial release of the top-secret Pentagon Papers, a collection of documents that showed mistakes and lies from the Johnson administration regarding the Vietnam war in 1971, Ellsberg is sure to have a great deal to say about Wikileaks, which is similar in nature to the Pentagon Papers but disseminates information leaks online and aims to protect the contributor’s anonymity.
In addition to his work in the security leak arena, Ellsberg has been an outspoken opponent of the war in Iraq.
“Ellsberg is, since he spoke out against the war, I think he could be correctly labeled a dissident in that he is someone who challenges conventional notions of how we go about our relationships with the rest of the world and how treat our own citizens,” said Osgood. “He [Ellsberg] was one of the earliest and most insightful opponents of the war in Iraq … he predicted all the disasters and mayhem that we’ve encountered there.
Since he teaches a freshmen class about Ellsberg and the Vietnam war, Osgood is excited to see the enthusiastic response that the event has already generated from students and teachers alike.
“I’ve been organizing these events for about five years now, and Ellsberg has generated more interest from students and teachers than anyone … most of the tickets are going to students and teachers which is really exciting.”
Of the 2,400 to 2,600 seats available, 1,200 were already booked as of last week.
“Dr. Osgood is very timely in the speakers that he brings in, it always works out that it’s timely and pertinent to what’s going on in those areas,” said Zella Linn, the office administrator of the department of history.
The event is put on by the department of history in the college of arts and letters, which puts on two major lectures a year. The Ellsberg event falls under the Alan B. Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency, according to Linn.
The Details
Breakdown of the two day Ellsberg event
Tuesdays will consist of a free screening of the movie “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.”
This film is a new documentary made by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith about how Ellsberg brought the pentagon papers to light and changed the course of the war and the country.
When: Tuesday Feb. 15th at 3:30 pm
Where: University Theater
For more information, visit www.mostdangerousman.org
Wednesday will be the Ellsberg lecture and book signing.
Ellsberg will be giving a lecture followed by a mediated discussion time where the audience can have their questions answered.
When: Wendesday Feb. 16th at 3:00pm
Where: Kaye Auditorium in the Student Union on the Boca Campus
Tickets are free with student ID. For more information visit www.fauevents.com
