June 10-16, 2024

Daniel Ellsberg Week

June 10-16, 2024

Daniel Ellsberg Week

Co-sponsored by RootsAction Education Fund & The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy 

Co-sponsored by RootsAction Education Fund & The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy 

A week of education and action to honor peacemaking and whistleblowing

Daniel Ellsberg became a whistleblower by giving the 7,000-page Pentagon Papers to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the New York Times, the Washington Post and 17 other newspapers. Ellsberg’s subsequent trial on twelve felony counts, posing a possible sentence of 115 years, was dismissed in 1973 on grounds of governmental misconduct against him, leading to the convictions of several White House aides and figuring in the impeachment proceedings against President Nixon.
 
Ellsberg was a lecturer, scholar, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful U.S. interventions and the urgent need for principled whistleblowing until his death on June 16, 2023. Today, we are carrying on his legacy as a voice of reason in a nuclear-armed world by working to end the threat of nuclear weapons.

Join an Ellsberg Week event Online or In-Person

“When I say that there is a step that could reduce the risk of nuclear war significantly that has not been taken but could easily be taken, that is the elimination of American ICBMs."
-Daniel Ellsberg
Ellsberg emphasized that intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are the single greatest nuclear weapons threat to our world today. With recent reports revealing that the effort to replace them will cost tens of billions of dollars more than originally estimated, it’s past time to get rid of these dangerous weapons and redirect money to real human needs.
icbm

In April 2023, the Defuse Nuclear War coalition celebrated Daniel Ellsberg Week for the first time.

The efforts to mark Daniel Ellsberg Week generated city proclamations, articles, op-eds, videos, and a puncture or two in the bubble of media groupthink that passes for journalism. Seeking “to honor peacemaking and whistleblowing,” the cities of Albuquerque, NM, and San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, issued proclamations designating April 24-30, 2023 as Daniel Ellsberg Week to honor the renowned Pentagon Papers whistleblower. Additionally, The Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence presented Ellsberg with their annual award.

 

This year, we’ll be commemorating Ellsberg’s life and work once again by demanding a world beyond nuclear weapons.

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“Wouldn’t you go to prison to help end this war?”
-Daniel Ellsberg

The Defuse Nuclear War Podcast With Daniel Ellsberg

Info

Directed by Oscar-nominee Judith Ehrlich, the series explores the dangers of nuclear weapons and the politics that drive their existence. Hear firsthand accounts from Ellsberg about his time as a nuclear war planner for the U.S. military and learn hidden truth about realities of nuclear weapons. In episode 1, Daniel Ellsberg accounts the death toll and violent realities of nuclear war.

Write a Letter to the Editor of your local paper

Use the template below to get started or come up with your own original letter to the editor. If you’d like to write a longer form op-ed, the DNW team can help you plan, edit, and pitch it to progressive publications online. Reach out at any stage of the writing process with questions or for guidance.

Dear Editors:

 

This June 16 will mark the one year anniversary of the death of Daniel Ellsberg, the renowned scholar and activist whose revelations about the Vietnam War with the Pentagon Papers sparked a national crisis of conscience.

 

Ellsberg, who helped create some of the nuclear war plans that the U.S. still uses today, left the world with a warning about the dangers of nuclear weapons, and above all intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

 

With the recent announcement that the program to replace U.S. ICBMs is nearly 40% over budget, it’s past time to heed Ellsberg’s warning:

 

“For over half a century, the existence on both sides of vulnerable land-based ICBMs has been the hair trigger to the Doomsday Machine. They pose a use-it-or-lose-it mentality which encourages each side to launch its missiles on ambiguous warning, lest they be destroyed—in order to attack the ICBMs of the other side.”

 

Ellsberg may have been talking about issues of global significance, but each and every person around the world lives with the constant threat of suffering and death as long as these weapons exist. In fact, nuclear weapons are sold to cities and states as a job-creating boon to local communities, when research shows that investing in essential areas such as healthcare, education, and green energy will also create many more, better jobs.

 

We can’t afford to pour tens of billions of dollars more into weapons that threaten the society we have built. To honor Daniel Ellsberg and future generations, let’s ditch the ICBM.

 

Sincerely,

[Name]

Tell Your Elected Officials to Introduce a Resolution Affirming the need to eliminate icbms

Use the template below to submit a request to your elected officials urging them to pass a resolution affirming the need to eliminate ICBMs.

It helps if you revise the subject line and/or wording of the message. Feel free to edit the template as you see fit.

Default subject line: For a resolution affirming the need to eliminate ICBMs

 

Dear [target name],


As a constituent, I urge you to join in a nationwide effort to honor renowned whistleblower and peacemaker Daniel Ellsberg and affirm the need to eliminate intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) by introducing the resolution text below to [local governing body].

WHEREAS, eight decades after their invention, nuclear weapons still threaten to escalate conflicts around the world and end life on our planet as we know it;

 

WHEREAS, the ongoing existence of nuclear weapons concentrates their apocalyptic power in the hands of a very small group of world leaders, subverting the principle of democratic governance;

 

WHEREAS, nuclear weapons manufacturing and basing are an economic burden on the United States, as investment in healthcare, education, renewable energy, and other urgent needs is proven to create more jobs;

 

WHEREAS, the environmental effects of nuclear weapons manufacturing, testing, basing, and storage continue to negatively impact the health of communities across the world;

 

WHEREAS, because of their destructive force and economic impact, WHEREAS, because of their destructive force and economic impact, nuclear weapons are of direct relevance to the fate of every area in the United States;

 

WHEREAS, Daniel Ellsberg’s work as a lecturer, scholar, writer and activist on the dangers of the nuclear era, wrongful U.S. interventions and the urgent need for principled whistleblowing remains an inspiration to new generations living with the imminent threat of nuclear weapons;

 

WHEREAS, Ellsberg emphasized that intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) are the single greatest nuclear weapons threat to our world today;

 

WHEREAS, U.S. ICBMs are kept ready to launch at all times and cannot be recalled once they are launched, presenting a serious threat of use in response to a false alarm, a threat shown to be realistic by several well-documented historical “near misses”;

 

WHEREAS, the effort to modernize the U.S. ICBM force was recently revealed to be 37% over budget, nearly $100 billion more than the original projected cost of $264 billion;

 

WHEREAS, local and state governments are supposed to represent constituents to higher levels of government, as allowed under Clause 3, Rule XII of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, also known as the Jefferson Manual because of the local Charlottesville resident who created it;

 

WHEREAS, ​​in 1967 a court in California ruled in favor of citizens’ right to place a referendum on the ballot opposing a war, ruling that “one of the purposes of local government is to represent its citizens before the Congress, the Legislature, and administrative agencies in matters over which the local government has no power”;

 

AND WHEREAS, this approach has contributed to ending U.S. slavery, South African apartheid, and a nuclear arms race, as well as legalizing marriage for all, protecting immigrants, and halting wars;

 

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that [the City Council or other relevant governing body] formally commemorates the life and achievements of Daniel Ellsberg by declaring June 10-16 Daniel Ellsberg Week and encourages community members to commemorate Ellsberg’s life and work through actions in support of reducing nuclear risk;

 

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the [governing body] expresses its opposition to efforts to replace the ICBM force through “modernization” programs;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the [governing body] affirms the need to eliminate the U.S. ICBM program and direct the investment of relevant funds to communities directly impacted by nuclear weapons manufacturing, basing, and testing as well as to programs addressing urgent healthcare, housing, education, and other basic needs;

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the [governing body] will send this resolution to its Congressional delegation and the White House to urge them to act in accordance with the statements affirmed here.

Tell Your Elected Officials to Introduce a Resolution Honoring Daniel Ellsberg

Daniel Ellsberg — the Pentagon Papers whistleblower who was an inspiring activist for peace since the early 1970s — passed away on April 16, 2023.

In the words of The Ellsberg Initiative for Peace and Democracy, he “devoted his life to the nonviolent struggle for peace, truth, and democracy. In 1971, he risked his freedom by releasing to the press and public a 7,000-page top-secret history of the Vietnam War – the Pentagon Papers – exposing decades of government lies and deceit.”

Use the template below to submit a request to your elected officials urging them to pass a resolution honoring Daniel Ellsberg with “Daniel Ellsberg Week,” June 10-16, 2024.

 

It helps if you revise the subject line and/or wording of the message.

Default subject line: For a resolution honoring Daniel Ellsberg

 

Dear [target name],


As a constituent, I urge you to join in a nationwide effort to honor renowned whistleblower and peacemaker Daniel Ellsberg by officially declaring June 10-16, 2024, to be Daniel Ellsberg Week. A draft resolution is below.

The __________ Declares June 10-16, 2024 to be Daniel Ellsberg Week

 

WHEREAS Daniel Ellsberg risked life in prison to reveal secret, illegal, and immoral activities to the people of the United States and the rest of the world by giving the Pentagon Papers to the U.S. Congress and news media;

 

WHEREAS Ellsberg’s actions contributed to ending the war in Vietnam, and to discouraging further war-making, including by informing the public of the inner workings of the U.S. government;

 

WHEREAS further revelations made by Ellsberg over many years greatly informed the public of the dangers of nuclear weaponry;

 

WHEREAS Daniel Ellsberg was for several decades an outstanding educator and activist on some of the most important issues on Earth;

 

WHEREAS Daniel Ellsberg supported, encouraged, and inspired whistleblowers, journalists, and activists all over the world;

 

WHEREAS the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists has placed its Doomsday Clock measurement of the current risk of nuclear war closer to apocalyptic midnight than it has ever been before, and every means of awakening people to the danger is merited;

 

THEREFORE we proclaim June 10-16, 2024, to be Daniel Ellsberg Week in _____________, and encourage the reading of Daniel Ellsberg’s books and articles as well as the viewing of his video interviews and speeches, some of which can be found at defusenuclearwar.org/ellsberg.

"My wish for you, my friends, is that at the end of your days you will feel as much joy and gratitude as I do now."
-Daniel Ellsberg

Help build a movement to prevent nuclear war