the washington post published the pentagon papers on june 18, 1971.
when did the washington post published the pentagon papers?
june 18 , 1971
on june 18, 1971, "the washington post" began publishing its own series of articles based upon the "pentagon papers"; ellsberg had given portions to "the washington post" reporter ben bagdikian. bagdikian brought the information to editor ben bradlee. that day, assistant u.s. attorney general william rehnquist asked "the washington post" to cease publication. after the paper refused, rehnquist sought an injunction in u.s. district court. judge murray gurfein declined to issue such an injunction, writing that "[t]he security of the nation is not at the ramparts alone. security also lies in the value of our free institutions. a cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know." the government appealed that decision, and on june 26 the supreme court agreed to hear it jointly with "the new york times" case. fifteen other newspapers received copies of the study and began publishing it.
pentagon papers
the film downplays the original role that "the new york times" had in breaking the "pentagon papers" and emphasizes "the washington post"'s subsequent involvement. in an interview with the "columbia journalism review", former "new york times" associates james greenfield, who coordinated the "pentagon papers" project as the "times" foreign editor; james goodale, the"times" general counsel at the time; and max frankel, the "times"' washington bureau chief when the "papers" were published"," criticized the film's more minor portrayal of the paper. "the new york times" had not only published the "pentagon papers" before "the washington post", but had also set the stage for the major legal battle between the press and the united states government. the newspaper also won the 1972 pulitzer prize for public service for its contributions.
the post (film)