On the Media

What We Learned — And Didn't Learn — From the Pentagon Papers


Listen Later

In 1971, federal investigators convened two grand juries to investigate, among other things, the publishing, by major newspapers, of thousands of pages of secret government documents reviewing the history from 1945 on, of the still ongoing war in Vietnam. 

The Pentagon Papers' consequences were vast — including that historic effort by the federal government to investigate — under the Espionage Act — staffers at the Washington Post, the New York Times, and the Boston Globe. As tends to be the case with sprawling grand jury cases, the investigators’ questions and methods remain a secret.

But Jill Lepore hopes to change that. On Monday of this week, Lepore — Harvard historian, New Yorker staff writer, and author of These Truths: A History of the United Statesasked a federal court to order the release of documents related to those grand juries. “Why and when was the investigation opened?” Lepore demands in court documents. “Why was it closed? To what lengths did the government go in conducting the investigation?” A half-century after Pentagon analyst Daniel Ellsberg’s mammoth revelations, questions still linger. 

Earlier this year, Brooke spoke with Les Gelb, one of the drafters of the original papers, about what journalists and historians previously failed to understand about the Pentagon Papers.

On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today (https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm). Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing [email protected].

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

On the MediaBy WNYC Studios

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

8,716 ratings


More shows like On the Media

View all
Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

Science Friday

6,133 Listeners

The Brian Lehrer Show by WNYC

The Brian Lehrer Show

1,548 Listeners

On Point | Podcast by WBUR

On Point | Podcast

3,900 Listeners

Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,967 Listeners

Political Gabfest by Slate Podcasts

Political Gabfest

8,506 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,949 Listeners

Fresh Air by NPR

Fresh Air

38,189 Listeners

The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The Political Scene | The New Yorker

3,954 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,701 Listeners

Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Reveal

8,264 Listeners

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts by Slate Podcasts

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts

3,521 Listeners

The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

The New Yorker Radio Hour

6,670 Listeners

More Perfect by WNYC Studios

More Perfect

14,429 Listeners

1A by NPR

1A

4,624 Listeners

Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

Radio Atlantic

2,321 Listeners

Spooked by KQED and Snap Studios

Spooked

16,398 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

16,043 Listeners

Dolly Parton's America by WNYC Studios & OSM Audio

Dolly Parton's America

16,352 Listeners

Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast by WNYC Studios

Brian Lehrer: A Daily Politics Podcast

671 Listeners

Radiolab for Kids by WNYC

Radiolab for Kids

1,048 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

15,321 Listeners