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Born April 7, 1931
Chicago, Illinois

American political scientist and
government official

Daniel Ellsberg was a high-ranking government official who helped shape American military policy during the Vietnam War. But as the war progressed, Ellsberg's early sup port for U.S. involvement gave way to strong antiwar feelings. This conversion led Ellsberg to leak a top-secret government study about U.S. policies in Vietnam to the New York Times. This study—known as the Pentagon Papers—revealed that the U.S. government had repeatedly misled the American public about the war in Vietnam over the previous two decades.

A brilliant young man

Daniel Ellsberg was born on April 7, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. An excellent student, he graduated first in his high school class. He then received a scholarship...