Most Dangerous. Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War

Steve Sheinkin delivers a tense, narrative nonfiction account of what the Times deemed the greatest story of the century. This is the story of how whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg transformed from obscure government analyst into the most dangerous man in America, and risked everything to expose years of government lies during the Nixon/Cold War era.On June 13, 1971, the front page of the New York Times announced the existence of a 7,000 page collection of documents containing a secret history of the Vietnam War.Known as The Pentagon Papers, these files had been commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Chronicling every action the government had taken in the Vietnam War, they revealed a pattern of deception spanning over twenty years and four presidencies, and forever changed the relationship between American citizens and the politicians claiming to represent their interests.The investigation that resulted as well as the attempted government coverups and vilification of the whistleblower has timely relevance to Edward Snowdens NSA leaks.A provocative and political book that interrogates the meanings of patriotism, freedom, and integrity,`Most Dangerous`further establishes Steve Sheinkin as a leader in childrens nonfiction.This thoroughly-researched and documented book can be worked into multiple aspects of the common core curriculum.