Summary

The report proved that the U.S. had never tried to win the war. Presidents would escalate military action in Vietnam but never to a level to realize victory. This was most egregiously true in the Johnson administration. The war perpetuated because no president wanted to be the first to lose a war. U.S. soldiers could die in battle and thousands of civilians could perish in Viet Nam because of bloated egos. Nixon began withdrawing troops hoping to prod Ho Chi Minh into some concessions that would allow the U.S. to withdraw with honor. Kissinger warned the north that if they didn’t agree to a settlement by November, that the U.S. would unleash a savage blow.

Ellsberg was in Philadelphia at War Resisters’ International Conference. Though he had come to lecture and participate in...