The Most Dangerous Man in America

During the 1960s, Daniel Ellsberg was one of the most promising analysts in the U.S. Department of Defense. This all changed when he was asked by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to draw up a secret report on the American presence in Vietnam. At the time, the war in Vietnam was in full swing. The outcome of his investigations led Ellsberg to realize that five successive U.S. Presidents had lied to the American people about their country's role in the Vietnam conflict. He therefore decided to leak the 7,000-page to in 1971. is a portrait of a highly intelligent man who chose above all to remain true to his principles of openness and justice -- a decision that would cost him his career and lead to many years of legal battles with the American government. Interviews and historical footage create an impression of a dispute that eventually had far-reaching consequences for press freedom in the United States, as well as for the course of the war in Vietnam.