In examining his legacy, the scrutiny he tried to bring to the Espionage Act in making that disclosure also deserves attention.
The government has various tools to deter and punish unauthorized disclosures to reporters and the public, and for most of American history, it did not try to send leakers to prison.
In 1957, the military included Espionage Act charges in the court-martial of an Army colonel for giving reporters information about a disputed missile program, but prosecutors dropped the charges.
In 1971, the Justice Department obtained its first such indictment in the case against Ellsberg and a colleague who had helped him, Anthony Russo.
A decade later, the Justice Department under the Reagan administration tried again, bringing Espionage Act charges against a defense analyst who had provided classified satellite photographs of a Soviet shipyard to Jane’s Defence Weekly.
Persons:
“, ”, leakers, —, Ellsberg, Anthony Russo, Reagan, Bill Clinton
Organizations:
Justice Department, Department, Jane’s Defence
Locations:
Soviet