Writer And Activist Daniel Ellsberg To Speak At Georgia State University
Atlanta, Georgia (PRWEB) October 20, 2014 -- Writer, lecturer and activist Daniel Ellsberg—best known for his involvement in the Pentagon Papers trial in 1971—will deliver the founders lecture, “Watergate to Snowden: The Assault on Privacy in America,” at Georgia State University on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
The lecture will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Centennial Hall Auditorium (100 Auburn Ave. NE). It is free and open to the public. The talk is hosted by the Honors College and is in recognition of past Honors Program director and Georgia State Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Success and Vice Provost Dr. Tim Renick.
In the 1970s, Ellsberg, a military analyst with top-secret security clearances, released the Pentagon Papers, detailing the secret history of the Vietnam War. This was the biggest national security leak in U.S. history prior to recent events surrounding WikiLeaks. Ellsberg copied the report and sent it to the New York Times, the Washington Post and 17 other newspapers. Although he was indicted for stealing government documents, the case was dismissed because of government misconduct. Ellsberg, who opposed the Vietnam War, said he leaked the papers because he felt the public had a right to know what the government was doing.
Ellsberg is a senior fellow of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation and the author of three books: “Papers on the War”; “Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers”; and “Risk, Ambiguity and Decision.”
“We are honored to be hosting Daniel Ellsberg on our campus,” said Larry Berman, founding dean of the Georgia State Honors College. “Daniel Ellsberg has spent a lifetime fighting for the truth. In 2006, he received the Right Livelihood Award, known as the Alternative Nobel Prize, for putting peace and truth first, at considerable personal risk, and dedicating his life to inspiring others to follow his example. There is probably no greater, more outspoken supporter of the public debate on government transparency.”
Event Contact:
Mallory McKenzie, Alumni & Events Coordinator
Georgia State Honors College
404-413-5571
mmckenzie(at)gsu(dot)edu
Media Contact:
Annahita Jimmerson, Director of Communications
Georgia State Honors College
404-413-5571
ajimmerson(at)gsu(dot)edu
Leah Seupersad, Georgia State University, +1 (404) 413-1354, [email protected]
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