Daniel Ellsberg is 90 years old today.
Ellsberg is an activist and former United States military analyst who, while employed by the RAND Corporation, precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the Pentagon Papers to the New York Times and other newspapers.
The Pentagon Papers was a top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making in relation to the Vietnam War.
Ellsberg was charged under the Espionage Act of 1917 along with other charges of theft and conspiracy, carrying a total maximum sentence of 115 years.
Due to gross governmental misconduct and illegal evidence gathering, and the defense by Leonard Boudin and Harvard Law School professor, Charles Nesson, Judge Byrne dismissed all charges against Ellsberg on May 11, 1973.
Since the end of the Vietnam War, Ellsberg has continued his political activism, giving lecture tours and speaking out about current events.