How do breaches of trust affect public perception? (Pentagon Papers)
The Pentagon Papers were a secret government study that examined America’s involvement in Vietnam. Commissioned in 1967, the report revealed a pattern of government deception regarding the scope and purpose of American actions in Vietnam. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst who had worked on the report, leaked it to the media. Ellsberg believed the public had a right to know the truth about the Vietnam War. The Nixon administration attempted to prevent publication, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the documents could be published. The Pentagon Papers fueled public distrust in the government and intensified opposition to the Vietnam War. For many, the papers underscored the dangers of unchecked government secrecy and the importance of transparency in a democracy.
D2.His.4.9-12. Analyze complex and interacting factors that influenced the perspectives of people during different historical eras.
Featured Sources
Source A: Vietnam War Book Titles derived in part from the Hannah Arendt Papers, Library of Congress
Source B: “Lying in Politics: Reflections on the Pentagon Papers” from the Hannah Arendt Papers, Library of Congress
Formative Performance Tasks
- COLLABORATE: Sort the book titles into two groups – those you think were written by government sources and those written by authors not connected to the government.
- PRODUCE: Re-sort the titles according to when you think the books were published to create a timeline.
- DELIBERATE: Compare and contrast your timeline with the actual dates of publication.
Instructional Snapshot
Class begins by explaining to students that many books have been written about the Vietnam War, some by government sources and some by private-sector authors. With only this brief introduction, students are divided into small groups and given a set of the Vietnam War Book Titles cut into individual strips. Working together, students sort the titles into two groups on the student handout: those they think were written by government sources and those they believe were written by authors not connected to the government. After students have sorted the book titles, groups share their thinking with the class. Students may conclude that titles that are more critical of the war were written by sources not affiliated with the government.
The teacher then introduces the quote by Robert McNamara in Source B (included on the student handout) and explains the Pentagon Papers. Using the dates that the Pentagon Papers were commissioned and leaked as anchors, students will work in teams to re-sort the book titles in the order they think they were published, recording the corresponding letters on the timeline on the student handout. Then, the teacher reveals the actual order of publication. In their teams, students compare and contrast their prediction with the actual publication order, exploring the compelling question as they do so. The teacher might consider sharing with students that Source A is the original 1971 New York Times review by Neil Sheehan of books critical of the government’s role in Vietnam (the book titles published before 1971 come from this article). After reading that article, Daniel Ellsberg chose to leak the Pentagon Papers to Neil Sheehan.
