Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, discusses the espionage trial of NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, scheduled to start on June 13 – also the 40th anniversary of the Pentagon Papers leak; why Bradley Manning, even if guilty of everything he’s accused of, still didn’t commit a federal crime; the history, applicability and common use of the Espionage Act of 1917; why using the Act for prosecuting whistleblowers who disclose classified information violates the First Amendment and should be unconstitutional; how Manning’s possible conviction would fundamentally damage the relationship between Americans and their government; and the disturbing trend of increasing government secrecy and decreasing public privacy.
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