The (complete) Pentagon Papers Release Slated for Monday

An article in this morning’s New York Times details the government’s plans to declassify the entirety of the Pentagon Papers, the U.S. government’s secret study of the war in Vietnam. That release will come 40 years after the Times publication of much, but not all, of that study. Now, each page will be scanned and be made available electronically through the National Archives and Records Administration.

The article appearing in today’s paper puts the release in an interesting historical context, contrasting the Vietnam Era publication of the Pentagon Papers to today’s era of WikiLeaks. Daniel Ellsberg, the former Rand Corporation analyst who helped compile the report that would become known as the Pentagon papers, leaked it to the New York Times and subsequently faced 12 felony counts as a result of that release, it quoted at length.

The article reads, in part: “It seems to me that what the Pentagon Papers really demonstrated 40 years ago was the price of (the usurping of Congressional war-making powers by the executive branch),” Ellsberg said. “Which is that letting a small group of men in secret in the executive branch make these decisions — initiate them secretly, carry them out secretly and manipulate Congress, and lie to Congress and the public as to why they’re doing it and what they’re doing — is a recipe for, a guarantee of Vietnams and Iraqs and Libyas, and in general foolish, reckless, dangerous policies.”

As the release date nears, and policies are debated, those preparing for that discussion will have the full text of the Pentagon Papers available for their perusal.

The photo of Ellsberg, above, comes from the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum The museum’s collections also include an oral history interview with Ellsberg and a variety of other interview and digitized documents pertaining to the Pentagon Papers.

D-Day Remembered

June 6 marks the 67^th anniversary of D-Day, the invasion of Normandy.  More than 130,000 American, English and Canadian troops stormed the Omaha, Utah, Gold, Juno and Sword Beaches on that day. The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum has a compelling collection of digitized primary documents related to the invasion. Among those papers you’ll find General Eisenhower’s “Orders of the Day” for June 6, 1944 – the statement he issued to members of the expeditionary force as D-Day commenced. Also, you’ll find a digitized copy of a scrawled press release to be used, if necessary, titled “In Case of Failure Message.”

 The photo above shows American soldiers on Omaha Beach recovering the dead after the D Day invasion of France. It comes from the Library of Congress.

Royal Weddings: Past and Present

On July 29, 1981, I set my alarm clock for some crazy time so I could get up before the sun and watch hour upon hour of royal wedding coverage. I remember my high school friends being similarly fascinated by Charles and Di’s nuptials. Tomorrow, I have no intention of getting up before dawn to watch William and Kate get married, and while they’re exchanging vows at Westminster Abbey, I’ll be at the reference desk. However, I do admit to doing a fair amount of Royal Wedding web surfing over the past week or so. Whatever your opinions about the Monarchy and its surrounding pomp, the sites below might give you some appreciation for the rich history of royal weddings.

British History Online features the minutes of a December, 1891 meeting of the Council of Cardiff. During that session, members unanimously voted to heartily congratulate their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales upon the betrothal of their son and heir, His Royal Highness the Duke of Clarence and Avondale and Earl of Athlone, to Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck.

Browse through earlier records and you’ll discover an entry from the Calendar of Treasury Books from 1734. It provides an overview of several bills and other expenses for the “Princess Royal's wearing apparel and other necessaries for Her Royal Highness's wedding, managed by the Right Honourable the Countess of Suffolk as Mistress of the Robes to Her Majesty. “ It goes on the list the price of goods imported from France as well as those purchased from England. It also details the costs of handkerchiefs, flowers and buckles. Those figures were certainly related to the March 25, 1734 wedding of Anne, Princess Royal, daughter of George II, to William IV of Orange at the Chapel Royal, St. James Palace

I also downloaded “Royal Weddings” The Royal Collection’s first official Royal App. I can’t say it provided $2.99 in entertainment value, but I considered it an investment in research. The narration and animation was a bit uninspired, but it did feature some amazing photographs from The Royal Collection that date from Victoria and Albert’s 1840 nuptials to William and Kate’s planned wedding. The Royal Collection includes paintings, drawings and watercolors, furniture, ceramics, clocks, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, manuscripts, prints and maps, arms and armor, fans, and textiles and is held in trust by the Queen.

The picture above shows Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (1709-59). It comes from The Royal Collection.

The one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon disaster

Today, the one yearanniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, relatives of the 11 men who perished in that blast will fly over the site of the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. That disaster led to the worst oil spill in U.S. History and had devastating environmental effects in the water and along the shores of Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. A wealth of resources are available that detail the scope of the spill, the effectiveness of the cleanup effort and the ongoing impact. Some of that information can be found at  www.restorethegulf.gov , which is described as “official federal portal for the Deepwater BP oil spill response and recovery. This site provides the public with information on the response, current operations, news and updates, how to file a claim and obtain other assistance, and links to federal, state and local partners.” Additional information can be found at the Federal Department of the Interior, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service.

The photo above of the Deepwater Horizon explosion comes from the National Oceanic and AtmosphericAdministration.

R.I.P. Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine A. Ferraro, the 1984 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee died in Boston Saturday at the age of 75 due to complications from multiple myeloma.

As the first woman nominated for national office by a major political party, Ms. Ferraro was viewed as a pioneer. President Obama described her as such this weekend when he said, “Geraldine will forever be remembered as a trailblazer who broke down barriers for women and Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life.”

The Mondale/Ferraro ticket was trounced in a Reagan/Bush landslide back in 1984. Subsequently, Ms. Ferraro would twice unsuccessfully run for a Senate seat. She later served as an ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission during the Clinton Administration. She also was as a television commentator, consultant and author.

However none of her later accomplishments could overshadow her appearance at the Democratic National Convention on July 19, 1984, when she stood before the delegates at San Francisco’s Moscone Center and accepted her party’s vice presidential nomination.

“A wise man once said, "Every one of us is given the gift of life, and what a strange gift it is. If it is preserved jealously and selfishly, it impoverishes and saddens. But if it is spent for others, it enriches and beautifies," she said in her acceptance speech. My fellow Americans: We can debate policies and programs. But in the end what separates the two parties in this election campaign is whether we use the gift of life - for others or only ourselves.”

The full text of her acceptance speech can be found at the Archive of Women’s Political Communication at Iowa State University. The photo above, of Ms. Ferraro and her running mate, Walter Mondale, comes from U.P.I.