Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (Bccb Blue Ribbon Nonfiction Book Award (Awards))

Well written and astonishing information. I was a high school student when most of this stuff took place. I guess I expected more truth sharing than occurred.. It was disappointing to realize that that horrible war was allowed to continue to save face for the presidents. After I began my career as a nurse I encountered the horrible way our society behaved toward the veterans who fought and died for this. I get sick when I see the countless young men sacrificed for political gain in a war we could not win.

I have enjoyed all of Sheinkin's books, but this was an impressive feat. He managed to make a very complicated series of events not only easy to follow, but compelling. I couldn't put it down until I finished at 2 am. Although I can remember living through most of that history, Sheinkin put events into a larger perspective and clarified my understanding. The misdeeds of many people are evident in this history, but without demonizing anyone. Each historical figure is three dimensional, good and bad both apparent. I highly recommend it. It is most suitable for middle and high school students, but adults will find it informative and well-written, with an extensive bibliography. Get it. Read it. Share it. Our young need to learn the lessons of the past in order to deal with the future, and Sheinkin' s entertaining and thought-provoking works are perfect for that.

I was a small child when Ellsberg leaked the Pentagon papers so I really didn't know anything about it. My father is a Vietnam vet who served bravely. It makes me so mad to read about all the lies that perpetuated that war. It took my dad away for a year of our lives, and took many away forever, and for what!? Politics! This is well written and still relevant today in light of what Edward Snowden did. Definitely well worth reading.

Were it not true, this story could read like a comedy. One gets the sense that Daniel Ellsberg's interaction with Vietnam is almost a Forest Gump-like experience. He pops up everywhere, on all sides, for a variety of reasons, all of which culminate in his understanding of how wrong our nation had gone for decades...and the ultimate release of the Pentagon Papers. The writing and pacing of this book is superb: just enough detail is provided to tell the story, but it does not get mired down in minutia. Instead, we advance to the next stage of the story from the perspective of a transnational interloper who just by happenstance is the person most poised to understand the true nature of our nation's interaction with Vietnam. This book is an easy read covering a complex series of issues: war, secrecy, bureaucracy, politics, Watergate, journalism, and presidencies. It does so with such ease that I will without equivocation recommend it to my students.

The deception, lies and deceitfulness expressed by our President, military leaders and high level senior officials will literally bring your confidence in our political system to its lowest ebb. These are not innuendos, nor spurious opinions. The facts are borne out by 1000's of pages of official documentation and reports from folks actually on the ground observing the chaos of the Vietnam War. The Pentagon Papers tell all. It was admitted early on that not only was this a war that couldn't be won, but it was a war that the native people of Vietnam didn't want. They didn't care whether they were north or south, they simply wanted the fighting to stop and make things the way they were. The early South Vietnamese government officials were as corrupt as a sidewinder snake in the Mohave tDessert. There was more American currency being floated in the south than could be spend in a lifetime. Why put a stop to the gravy train? Well the answer is easy. If our government was willing to sacrifice another American life in a war they could never win, then the President, Chief Of Staff and every congressional member should be placed as point personnel and let them fight the good fight. Let's see how they would feel after a day of combat on the point. Chances are they wouldn't be feeling a thing since they would have been shot the first 10 minutes of the combat. Absolutely disgusting for all reasons and intent and purposes. Read the Pentagon Papers. Talk to veterans and get their take on our efforts and the reasons for such. Ask me, I was one of the soldiers thrown into the Vietnam War. There was no good reason for being over there then and there is no good reason for being anywhere now in a war we can never win. Read on and then decide for yourself. As John dams was quoted, "facts are stubborn things."