USA
Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg dies at 92
Daniel Ellsberg on a photograph from 2019. Photo
© Britta Pedersen/dpa
Daniel Ellsberg revealed the US government’s plans for the Vietnam War 50 years ago. He died at a very old age surrounded by his family.
US whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg has died at the age of 92. This was announced by his family in a statement that was available to the German Press Agency. Ellsberg unveiled the so-called Pentagon Papers in the early 1970s, thereby publicizing the US government’s secret plans for the Vietnam War. He was charged with espionage, which is why he faced up to 115 years in prison. His trial ended in 1973 when all charges against him were dropped. He has received several awards for his revelations.
The military analyst, author and peace activist had informed friends and supporters in March this year that he had pancreatic cancer and had refused chemotherapy. His family has now announced that Ellsberg died on Friday morning with his family in California. Most recently, he had repeatedly spoken out insistently about the dangers of nuclear war. The family said he was touched by the love and appreciation shown to him in his final days. “If I had known that dying would be like this, I would have done it sooner,” he is said to have said jokingly at the end of his life.