Truth and Consequence: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope - Daniel Ellsberg

Truth and Consequence: Reflections on Catastrophe, Civil Resistance, and Hope - Daniel Ellsberg

From theAnalysis.news by Paul Jay

April 24, 2026 · 43 min

About this episode

The episode features a conversation about Daniel Ellsberg's life as a whistleblower and antiwar activist, focusing on his writings and views on nuclear threats and terrorism.

Daniel Ellsberg was the whistleblower who leaked the Pentagon Papers, exposing U.S. lies about the Vietnam War and helping trigger the crisis that brought down President Richard Nixon. He went on to spend the rest of his life as an antiwar activist, focused above all on the dangers of nuclear weapons. In this conversation, Barry Stevens speaks with his son, Michael Ellsberg, about Truth and Consequence, a collection of Daniel’s writings that blends personal memoir with decades of political and ethical reflection. Together they explore his evolution from nuclear war planner to whistleblower and activist, and his uncompromising view that the deliberate targeting of civilians—including through nuclear threats—is terrorism, a standard that casts a harsh light on todays' U.S. leadership and its contempt for international law.

People in this episode

Host: Barry Stevens

Guest: Michael Ellsberg

Topics covered

  • whistleblowing
  • Vietnam War
  • nuclear weapons
  • civil resistance
  • antiwar activism
  • international law

Keywords

  • Daniel Ellsberg
  • Pentagon Papers
  • whistleblower
  • nuclear threats
  • antiwar
  • civilian targeting
  • terrorism
  • political reflection

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pentagon, U.S.

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