Pentagon Papers
Verified: Documented in primary records or confirmed by reputable inquiry/reporting.
A classified Defense Department study of US decision-making in Vietnam was leaked to the press and first published by The New York Times on 13 June 1971. The government tried to stop publication, and the Supreme Court decided the case on 30 June 1971.
Confirmed
The National Archives holds the study (48 boxes, about 7,000 pages) and says the 1971 leak was partial. Its 2011 release opened 2,384 pages, about 34 percent, that had not appeared in the earlier Gravel edition. The Vault links the study.
Claimed, disputed or not established
The sources opened raise no dispute about authenticity. What is argued is the meaning of the contents, not whether they are real.
Reported impact
New York Times Co. v. United States is a leading American case on prior restraint of the press. The Archives later released the study in full.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- U.S. National Archives: Pentagon Papers ↗https://www.archives.gov/research/pentagon-papers
- U.S. National Archives press release, 2011 ↗https://www.archives.gov/press/press-releases/2011/nr11-138.html
- Justia: New York Times Co. v. United States (1971) ↗https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/403/713/
Connected
- Vault documents: Pentagon Papers: Report of the OSD Vietnam Task Force (complete) ↗
- Case board · Timeline (1971) · Document vault · How we verify leaks
This page describes and cites public reporting. It does not host or link to leaked files, and it names no private individuals.