The New York Times began publishing excerpts from “The Pentagon Papers” on June 13, 1971. These classified documents detailed the United States’ political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967 and were leaked by former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg. The publication exposed government secrets and lies about the Vietnam War, leading to a significant shift in public opinion and fuelling debates over press freedom. The case of the Pentagon Papers eventually reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the newspapers, a major victory for the freedom of the press.
