A leaked 7,000-page secret history exposed the Vietnam War's truth
The Pentagon Papers, a 7,000-page classified Defense Department history of US involvement in Vietnam, were first published in excerpts.
The newspaper printed the first excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a sweeping classified Department of Defense history of American political and military involvement in the Vietnam War. The document ran to roughly 7,000 pages, laying out decades of decision-making.
Its release brought hidden government deliberations into public view. The publishing outlet itself is one of the longest-running newspapers in the United States and serves as a paper of record.
By 2025 it counted nearly 11.9 million total subscribers, the most of any US newspaper by a wide margin.
Why it mattersThe leak reshaped press freedom and public trust, revealing how much governments hid about the Vietnam War.
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