Inspired by Daniel Ellsberg’s vast collection of personal papers, recently acquired by University of Massachusetts Special Collections and University Archives, this free online conference brings together more than two dozen distinguished historians, journalists, activists, whistleblowers, and former policymakers on the eve of the 50th anniversary of Ellsberg’s leak of the Pentagon Papers. In a keynote address by Daniel Ellsberg and seven roundtable discussions, presenters will explore the major issues that have engaged Ellsberg’s life: the Vietnam War, nuclear weapons, antiwar resistance, the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, whistleblowing, and the wars of the 21st century.

This conference is the culmination of a year-long course taught by UMass Amherst historian Christian Appy and journalism professor Kathy Roberts Forde in collaboration with Charles Sennott, founder of The GroundTruth Project, and Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries, which is the repository for Ellsberg’s papers. We are building this website to showcase selections from the donated collection, conference materials and GroundTruth’s five-part podcast series called The Whistleblower: Truth, Dissent & the Legacy of Daniel Ellsberg in collaboration with GBH.

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