The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers
When in 1971 Daniel Ellsberg leaked a secret Pentagon history of U.S. involvement in Vietnam to the press, the shockwaves it set off may have been due nearly as much to the leaker as to the information leaked. While Americans were painstakingly digesting the documents’ long and byzantine history — which showed the nation’s leaders, both Democratic and Republican, lying about the facts of the war, proclaiming their desire for peace while seeking a wider war, declaring fidelity to democracy while sabotaging elections, and exhibiting a sweeping callousness to the loss of both Vietnamese and American lives — Ellsberg himself dramatically embodied the country’s division over the Vietnam War. Film introduction by Cynthia Mitchell, CWU Associate Professor of Journalism whose research, service and teaching passions revolve around the First Amendment.
Event Location: Black Hall room 152, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2017
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
A Bright Shining Lie
”A Bright Shining Lie,” based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Neil Sheehan, who covered the war for United Press International and The New York Times, tells the story of American involvement through the life of John Paul Vann, a hard-driven colonel turned civilian adviser who was among the first to blow the whistle on United States policy mistakes through such reporters as Mr. Sheehan and David Halberstam, who also met Vann while covering the war for The Times.
Event Location: Black Hall, room 152, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Date: Thu, Apr 6, 2017
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Hearts and Minds
Filmmaker Michael Moore calls this landmark film “the definitive account of the debacle we know as the Vietnam War” and “maybe my favorite film of all time.” Hearts and Minds is a 1974 American documentary film about the Vietnam War directed by Peter Davis. The film’s title is based on a quote from President Lyndon B. Johnson: “the ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there”. The movie was chosen as Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 47th Academy Awards presented in 1975. The film premiered at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. Commercial distribution was delayed in the United States due to legal issues, including a temporary restraining order
Event Location: Black Hall, room 152, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926
Date: Thu, Apr 20, 2017
Time: 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm