Daniel Ellsberg: A whistleblower’s call to arms

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Daniel Ellsberg (centre) with his wife Patricia and filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith.


The man who helped change the course of the Vietnam War hopes a new documentary inspires current U.S. bureaucrats to follow his lead

___The documentary, ('The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers', a documentary by California filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith, at the Toronto International Film Festival), in which Daniel Ellsberg features prominently, has since been nominated for an Academy Award and includes interviews with several key players . . .

Ellsberg now encourages others in government to bring greater transparency to the way wars are conducted, and over breakfast offered a disheartening take on present-day escalations. Less than two weeks before our interview, U.S. General Stanley McChrystal, commander of the U.S. forces in Afghanistan, had handed President Barack Obama three scenarios for a surge, ranging from 10,000 to 45,000 new troops. (Obama ultimately settled on 30,000.)

“I'll say this as certain as I can be: There isn't a chance in the world McChrystal is telling him that 45,000 troops will achieve any kind of significant success. All that will do is prolong the stalemate,” Ellsberg said. “I'm certain Obama is hearing figures of hundreds of thousands to achieve any significant or lasting success there.”

“When President Johnson said in 1965, 'I'm sending 50,000 men,' he knew that all of his militaries had recommended 500,000 to one million,” Ellsberg added. “What we need now is for somebody inside to take his career in hand, kiss it off and say, ‘No, the truth is, Congress, here's the estimates the President is really seeing.'”

read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/a-whistleblowers-call-to-arms/article1468086/

[Richard Steele]

1. K&R