It’s with great sorrow that we have heard about the death of Daniel Ellsberg. In his early life, he was drawn into the idea that the U.S. government stood for what it claims — freedom, democracy etc. As a researcher for the U.S. empire, he was exposed to the systematic lying of decades of administrations, both Democrat and Republican, regarding the war on Viet Nam and the recklessness of those administrations with their powerful U.S. nuclear arsenal. He faced a choice, and despite the consequences of being branded a traitor and facing life imprisonment, he changed sides. He was a moral person who stood firmly for what he believed in — that human beings could live in a world free from the threat of wars, especially nuclear wars, and could govern themselves in an equitable fashion. Although not a socialist, his view and his actions were certainly within the realm of the goal of revolutionary socialism. He will be deeply missed, but his example will live on.
Below is a link to an earlier article by Speak Out about Daniel Ellsberg, which includes an open letter he wrote at the time of his announcement that he was afflicted by late stage cancer with only months to live
