True Crime Campfire - Introducing: American Scandal

Episode Date: December 20, 2021

American Scandal is a podcast from Wondery that explores the darker stories that have shaped the United States. From the Unabomber to Bernie Madoff, these are stories that reveal the underbelly of America: ruthless, secretive, and power-hungry. The new season of American Scandal looks at the controversial decision made by a young government official named Daniel Ellsburg to leak the Pentagon Papers, the documents that led Americans to demand an end to the catastrophic Vietnam War. Once Ellsburg realized this terrible truth, he made the bold decision to leak the documents, and the consequences altered the course of American history. This is just a preview of American Scandal, but you can listen to the full episode at wondery.fm/AS_TCCampfireBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-campfire--4251960/support.

In the 1960s, as war raged in Vietnam, an inside operative leaked top-secret documents that shocked the American public. Were his actions patriotic or treasonous? American Scandal is a podcast from Wondery that explores the darker stories that have shaped the United States. From the Unabomber to Bernie Madoff, these are stories that reveal the underbelly of America. Ruthless, secretive, and power-hungry. In the new season, American Scandal looks at the controversial decision made by a young government official named Daniel Ellsberg to leak the Pentagon Papers, the documents that led Americans to demand an end to the catastrophic Vietnam War.

The Pentagon Papers revealed that the government knew the Vietnam War could not be won, but kept fighting anyway. Once Ellsberg realized this terrible truth, he made the bold decision to leak the documents, and the consequences altered the course of American history. You're about to hear a preview of American scandal, the Pentagon Papers. While you're listening, follow American Scandal on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's October 4th, 1969 in Los Angeles, California.

In an office on the west side of town, Daniel Ellsberg creeps through a silent corridor. The night is late, and by now the office is completely cleared out. So Ellsberg moves carefully, stalking through the hall like a burglar. He can't risk being seen by a security guard. A moment later, Ellsberg turns a corner and arrives at a small, dark room. He steps in and flicks a light switch, and the fluorescent bulbs come flickering to life. And there, standing in the corner of the room, is a hulking Xerox copier. Ellsberg pauses.

The Xerox machine seems almost like something out of science fiction, something that can spit out, endless copies of paper documents. And that's exactly what Ellsberg needs right now. In his arms is a thick blue folder labeled Vietnam Task Force. It contains a top-secret report that belongs to the United States government, and it reveals a dark truth about the Vietnam War. The government has been lying, and these deceptions have caused tens of thousands of deaths. Ellsberg is planning to photocopy these documents, tonight, tomorrow night, and every night after,

until he has copies of the entire 7,000-page report. And when he's finished, he's going to release the documents to the public to reveal the truth. It could land him in prison for the rest of his life. but it's a risk Ellsberg is willing to take if it puts an end to the Vietnam War. Ellsberg raises the lid of the Xerox machine and lays the first sheet of paper on the glass surface. After hitting a few buttons, a bar of light begins to scan across the glass. Then the machine starts churning out the first copied page. As the Xerox machine clunks and sputters, Ellesberg glances around the office.

He knows he's lucky to be here. Few Americans have access to copiers. But Ellsberg has a friend who works in the building, and she was generous and brave enough to let him use the machine late at night. The page finishes copying, and Ellsberg reaches for another document. But suddenly, there's a tapping on the door. Ellsberg spins around and finds two police officers standing in the doorway. Good evening, sir.

Mind telling me what's going on here? Oh, officer. You startled me. I'm just doing a little work. We can see, but it's a little bit. little late for work. Yeah, big week ahead. The officer, Steph Ford. Sir, what's your name? My name? Daniel Ellsberg. And you work here? Oh, no, I'm sorry, officer. I don't work here, but my friend does. And she knows you're here at night. After everyone left completely by yourself using this company's property? Well, yeah, that's right. I'm just finishing up a bit of a project.

Project. There's a lot of paperwork you've got there. Ellsberg tries to muster a smile. Well, yes, officer, it's a big project. Well, would you mind if we just have a look, see what you're working on? One of the officers steps forward, his hand outstretched. Ellsberg begins to panic. Right behind him is a folder with documents labeled top secret. Ellsberg is a military analyst who's approaching the peak of his career. But if the police officer see what he's up to,

Elsberg's life as he knows it could be over. His eyes dart left and right as Ellsberg searches frantically for a plan B. But right as the officer reaches for the documents, a voice calls out from behind them. The two policemen turn. And there striding forward is Linda Seney, Ellsberg's friend, and the one who let him use the office. Her eyes twinkle as she smiles, and Siney tells the officers that everything's okay. She works with the ad agency. Ellsberg's allowed to be here.

The officers shoot each other a suspicious look. But then with quick nods, their posture softens, and they take off. Once they're out of sight, Ellsberg nearly collapses in relief. He reminds his friend that she might have just changed the course of American history. She's a hero, but Seney smiles and deflects the gratitude. She reminds Ellsberg that he's the one who deserves the praise. He's taking an enormous risk to help end the war. Now Ellsberg needs to get back to work.

The public can't wait any longer to know the truth about Vietnam. Elsberg nods, turns back to the Xerox machine. She's right. They've lost enough time already. He'll need to stay up throughout the night if he wants to make progress copying these government files. He'll have to go page by page night after night until the job is done. And he's not going to stop. Not until he brings the truth to the public and ends the Vietnam War. The decision to go to war is one of the most consequential choices the nation's leaders can make.

War is risky, costly, and violent. It takes an immense and lasting toll on the combatants involved. And sometimes the validity of such a decision is debated. Sometimes that debate is never resolved. The Vietnam War is arguably the most infamous and controversial war in U.S. history. American involvement in Vietnam began as an outgrowth of its Cold War conflict with the Soviet Union. At the time, Vietnam was comprised of two rival halves in the North and South. South Vietnam was the capitalist Republic, while North Vietnam was a capitalist republic, while North

Vietnam was controlled by communist revolutionaries, known as the Viet Cong. American leaders believed that the Soviet-backed Viet Cong was gaining too much power. They feared that if South Vietnam fell to the communists, it would accelerate the spread of communism in Asia and around the globe. This fear was known as the domino effect, and to prevent it, the U.S. joined forces with the South Vietnamese. Initially, support for U.S. involvement was widespread. But that support began to dissipate in the mid-19th century. when it appeared the war was escalating with no end in sight. Many Americans wanted to know why they were spending their blood and treasure

and began questioning the government in unprecedented ways. One of the people asking questions was Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg was a young government official helping to set U.S. policy in Vietnam. He soon discovered that U.S. leaders were secretly escalating a war they knew could not be won. As a result, thousands of men were drafted every year, only to be senselessly made. or killed. Once Ellsberg recognized this terrible truth, he acted to expose it. He leaked documents now known as the Pentagon Papers. This is episode one, the Cold Warrior.