The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Teaching Guide i © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith i Teaching Guide The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers This teaching guide was prepared for middle school, high school, and college classrooms to enhance student understanding of the issues raised in the film. The lessons are appropriate for U.S. history, government, and language arts classrooms. The guide was developed by the Zinn Education Project in collaboration with the The Most Dangerous Man in America filmmakers Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith. Written by Bill Bigelow Sylvia McGauley Tom McKenna Hyung Nam Julie Treick O’Neill © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith Contact the Zinn Education Project (www.zinnedproject.org) for permission to reprint any of the contents in course packets, newsletters, books, or other publications. Contents About the Film . 1 About the Guide . 3 Introduction . 5 Lesson One: What Do We Know About the Vietnam War? Forming Essential Questions . 11 Lesson Two: Rethinking the Teaching of the Vietnam War. 15 Lesson Three: Questioning the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. 27 Lesson Four: The Most Dangerous Man in America Reception . 31 Lesson Five: Film Writing and Discussion Questions . 51 Lesson Six: The Trial of Daniel Ellsberg . 59 Lesson Seven: Blowing the Whistle: Personal Writing . 71 Lesson Eight: Choices, Actions and Alternatives . 81 Resources . 87 Credits and Acknowledgments . 97 Contents v © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith v About the Film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers The MosT Dangerous Man in aMerica and risks life in prison to end the war he helped catapults us to 1971 where we find America in the plan. It is a story that held the world in its grip, grip of a dirty war based on lies. And Dr. Daniel with daily headlines, the top story on the nightly Ellsberg, one of the nation’s leading war planners, news for weeks on end. has the documents to prove it. Armed with 7,000 Ellsberg’s leak of the top secret Pentagon pages of top secret documents he leaks the truth Papers sets into motion an extraordinary series of about the Vietnam War to the New York Times events. The Nixon administration first goes after Daniel Ellsberg worked for the State Department in Vietnam from mid-1965 to mid-1967. About the Film 1 © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith 1 Our tale is told by Ellsberg— as narrator, in current interviews and riveting archival footage— and a cast of supporting characters who “lived” the Pentagon Papers episode including Ellsberg’s wife and son, “co-conspirator” Tony Russo, historian/activist Howard Zinn, journalists Hedrick Smith and Max Frankel, attorneys Lenny Weinglass and James Goodale, Watergate principals Egil “Bud” Krogh and John Dean, and—in a rarely seen interview and his own secret White House tapes—Presi- H dent Nixon himself. I © lka artmann The film speaks directly to Daniel Ellsberg with his son Michael at the April 26, 1980 Anti-Nuclear Rally the world today, as national in San Francisco. security and the people’s right to know are in constant the nation’s press, resulting in a First Amend- tension. It raises questions about civil cour- ment battle that, within two weeks, ends up in age, following conscience, taking risks, and the Supreme Court. Ellsberg goes underground speaking truth to power. It challenges people to avoid a nationwide FBI manhunt. When he everywhere who are looking to better under- emerges, he is hailed as a hero, accused of being a stand the world of power and who search their traitor, ostracized by friends, and finds himself on own hearts for ways to take a stand and make trial for his life. a difference. tHe MOsT DANGErOUS Produced and directed by AcAdemy AwArd® MAN IN AMERICa NomiNee tHe MOsT DANGErOUS MAN IN AMERICa DANIEL ELLSBERG AND Best Documentary Feature tHe MOsT THE PENTAGON PAPERS A film by Judith Ehrlich & Rick Goldsmith DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS PENTAGON THE AND ELLSBERG DANIEL Judith Ehrlich and Rick Freedom oF expression AwArd - NatioNal Board of review ToronTo inTernATionAl Film FesTivAl - official SelectioN inTernATionAl documenTAry Film FesTivAl AmsTerdAm (idFA) - Special Jury award DANGErOUS pAlm springs inTernATionAl Film FesTivAl - audieNce award, BeSt documeNtary MAN IN Goldsmith. AMERICa DANIELAND ELLSBERG THE “A great teaching tool! The Pentagon Papers controversy remains PENTAGON PAPERS the key test case of press freedom vs. national security and For more information this film brilliantly lays out the competing claims with a rare combination of objectivity and passion.” – Robert Scheer, Journalist and professor of Communications, University of Southern California “Detailed, clearly told, persuasive” – Mike Hale, THE NEw YORk TIMES about the film, including In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world. Hailed as a hero, vilified as a traitor, and ostracized by even his closest colleagues, statements from each of Ellsberg risks life in prison to stop a war he helped plan. This political thriller is a riveting story of how one man’s profound change of heart led directly to Watergate, Nixon’s resignation and the end of the Vietnam War. DVD BONUS FEATURES: • The Nixon Tapes (audio highlights from the Oval Office) the directors, visit • Chapters and curriculum guide • Daniel Ellsberg today AcAdemy AwArd® • Spanish subtitles available • Filmmaker bios • More NomiNee 94 minutes / Color / 16:9 / Stereo or 5.1 surround / closed captions cc Best Documentary Feature www.mostdangerousman. A film by FOR EDUCATIONAL New Day Films • PO Box 1084 ISBN: 978-1-57448-266-9 Harriman, NY 10926 • 888-367-9154 USE ONLY FOR EDUCATIONAL Judith Ehrlich USE ONLY www.newday.com Any unauthorized use or duplication of this DVD is prohibited by law. & Rick Goldsmith org. 2 The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Teaching Guide © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith About the Teaching Guide This Teaching guide was prepared for high people, themes, events, and issues that are in the school and college classrooms to enhance student film through a simulated reception with close to understanding of the issues raised in the film, The 30 characters. Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg Lesson Five: Film Writing and Discussion and the Pentagon Papers. The lessons are appro- Questions provides a wealth of discussion ques- priate for U.S. history, government and language tions and writing prompts for use during and arts classrooms. The guide was developed by the after the film. Zinn Education Project in collaboration with Lessons Six through Eight are for use after Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith. students have viewed the film. Using a variety of teaching strategies, includ- Lesson Six: The Trial of Daniel Ellsberg is ing role play, critical reading, discussion, mock a mock trial that invites students to determine trial, small group imaginative writing, and per- what precedent might have been set with the trial sonal narrative, the teaching guide encourages of Ellsberg and Russo if the case had not been students to consider some of Vietnam’s lessons. dismissed. Lesson Seven: Blowing the Whistle: One key lesson of the film is that we all have the Personal Writing provides students with an potential to be “truth-tellers.” Although not all opportunity to explore the ways they themselves students will have the opportunity to affect the regularly make important choices about whether course of history as Daniel Ellsberg did, all will or not to resist injustice or remain silent. be in positions to make important decisions in Lesson Eight: Choices, Actions and Alterna- the name of justice. tives helps students explore how human agency Lessons One through Four are for use prior shapes history. Using the choice-points of the to showing the film. Vietnam War, students can recognize the impor- Lesson One: What Do We Know About the tant consequences of decisions and actions by Vietnam War? Forming Essential Questions people in history and how they can be agents who helps the teacher assess what students already can co-shape their world today. know or think they know and surfaces essential The Resources section offers a selection of questions that can be referenced while viewing recommended books, films, and websites. For the film. everyone using this guide, an essential background Lessons Two and Three introduce the history reading is Chapter 18: “The Impossible Victory: of the Vietnam War that Daniel Ellsberg sought Vietnam” from Howard Zinn’s A People’s History to make public with the Pentagon Papers and is of the United States (HarperCollins, 2005). still missing from most textbooks. Although it would be ideal to use all the les- Lesson Four: The Most Dangerous Man in sons, each lesson is a stand-alone activity. America Reception prepares students for the About the Teaching Guide 3 © 2010 Zinn Education Project, Judith Ehrlich, and Rick Goldsmith 3 Introduction Wouldn’t you go to jail to help end the war? —Daniel Ellsberg ask young people simple quesTions It’s not surprising. Many Americans who about America’s war in Vietnam. Why was the lived through the war in Vietnam found they United States in Vietnam? For how long? Who also lacked basic information necessary for a was the enemy? Who won? Most, if not all, will solid understanding of a war that demanded struggle to find answers. They don’t know.