Daniel Ellsberg was the whistleblower who had spread the Pentagon Papers to the public. He was initially sentenced to 115 years in prison for this leak (dismissed in 1973 on grounds of governmental misconduct). Eventually, the contents of the Pentagon Papers led to the impeachment proceedings of President Nixon, as well as the conviction of a number of White House aides. He died one year ago this week.
This leads us to this week; where we honor Daniel and his legacy of keeping the public informed on military proceedings in the United States. Specifically, Daniel was a lecturer, scholar, writer, and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful U.S. interventions and the urgent need for principled whistleblowing. Daniel Ellsberg stated in The Doomsday Machine, “Virtually any threat of first use of a nuclear weapon is a terrorist threat. Any nation making such threats is a terrorist nation. That means the United States and all its allies, including Israel, along with Russia, Pakistan, and North Korea.”
Until his passing on June 16, 2023, Daniel publicly advocated against the current Sentinel Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). The W87-1 warhead for this project is being developed locally, at Lawrence Livermore National Labs (LLNL). The total project cost is estimated at $125-131 billion, and will take at minimum a decade to complete. Daniel Ellsberg was arrested at LLNL numerous times for protesting its nuclear weapons work.
During this historically monumental week, we at Tri-Valley CAREs invite you to join us in continuing Daniel Ellsberg’s legacy by taking action. Ask your state senators and representatives to advocate for a safer world, and stop the Sentinel project here.
