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

In early 1967, more American troops were dying in Vietnam than ever, but the war was still in a “stalemate.” President Johnson continued insisting that “America was winning the war” (120), but citizens watching images from Vietnam on their televisions had trouble seeing “falling bombs, firefights, burning villages, the wounded on stretchers, and body bags loaded onto planes for the long flight home” as victory (120). The press began referring to the discrepancy between what the American government said about the war and what the public believed as the “credibility gap.” President Johnson’s approval rating began to fall, and antiwar protests increased.

Westmoreland requested more troops, and for the first time, Secretary McNamara advised the president to deny the request. Johnson, however, “was terrified of losing the war, and scared of sparking wider protests” (122). He finally decided to approve a reduced number of troops, bringing the total number of American soldiers in Vietnam to 525,000.

Meanwhile, Ellsberg had recovered enough to travel, and he returned to Washington. He thought he could share all he had learned in Vietnam “to influence key decision makers” (123). However, he was soon disappointed. Officials at the Pentagon and State Department continued to insist that things were going well in Vietnam and that victory was close at hand.