A large part of her concern about publishing the pentagon papers is. The original version of latws groundbreaking docudrama about the pentagon papers, the infamous classified documents about us involvement in the vietnam war, and how the washington post fought the government to publish them. The film revolves around the pentagon papers, the governments 7,000page, 47volume secret history of the vietnam war. How the stars of the years biggest movies compare to.
The pentagon papers was the name given to a topsecret department of defense study of u. As fritz beebe tracy letts, continuing his amazing 2017 says at one point, this was the. Although the two enjoyed a warm working relationship, it would be thrown into a crucible in the summer of 71 with the publication of the pentagon papers after the new york times, which first. Behind the race to publish the topsecret pentagon papers.
Container number, meg greenfield papers, manuscript division, library of congress, washington, d. Among the supporting cast odenkirk and greenwood are especially noteworthy, but rhys, letts, stuhlbarg, whitford and plemons all have their moments in the sun, while sarah paulson as bradlees wife, alison brie as grahams daughter, and carrie coon as spitfire post reporter meg greenfield lead the rest of an estimable ensemble. Meg greenfield was deputy editor of the posts editorial page. They were turned over without authorization to the new york times by daniel ellsberg, a senior research associate at the massachusetts institute of technologys center for international. Len downie, former washington post editor, talks about the. Dec 22, 2017 meg greenfield, born mary ellen greenfield the name meg was derived from her initials was born dec. Jan 22, 2018 how the stars of the years biggest movies compare to their reallife counterparts. The post is an oldschool salute to the importance of good, aggressive journalism. The true meaning of the pentagon papers by hadley arkes posted by ruth king on july 5th, 2018.
The documents were leaked to the new york times, and though. Sneaking the papers out of the pentagon, he and two fellow rand corporation employees make copies of the papers, and he turns them over to the new york times. The book is washington, a city she began covering as a. Tony awardnominee carrie coon plays meg greenfield in the film. Greenfield graduated summa cum laude from smith college in. As the summer of 2001 began, lewis was at it again, assuring readers that the pentagon papers marked a profound transformation of american journalism. Meg greenfield, born mary ellen greenfield the name meg was derived from her initials was born dec. Once bagdikian obtains them, he informs bradlee, and he gathers other post journalists, including meg greenfield carrie coon and howard simons david cross, to. Other standouts are carrie coon as post editorial page editor meg greenfield and the oddball comedian and comic actor david. But then, almost 30 years later, an unsettling jolt finally kicked in. The pentagon papers was a coverup that spanned four u. Watch katharine grahams steely description of her pentagon.
With the precedent of the pentagon papers decisions, it would have been impossible now to prevent the publication of those papers. In the new film the post, coon, 36, plays reallife journalist meg greenfield, who worked at the washington post during its struggle to publish the pentagon papers in the face of opposition. With remarks by diane adair, actress starring as meg greenfield in top secret. The battle for the pentagon papers at nytw, located at 79 east fourth street, are available by calling 212 4605475. Preferred citation researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information. Meryl streep and tom hanks star in a new film about the 1971 pentagon papers scandal. Its not every day that a big hollywood movie opens with an incountry vietnam war combat scene. Dec 07, 2017 although the two enjoyed a warm working relationship, it would be thrown into a crucible in the summer of 71 with the publication of the pentagon papers after the new york times, which first. Len downie, former washington post editor, talks about the real people behind the major motion picture. Its the directors most capraesque movie ever writes caryn james. Nov 09, 2017 the post tells the story of the washington posts decision to disclose the pentagon papers over the course of a few weeks in june 1971, an extensive government study that would show that the government had hidden from the public and media the true extent of u. Long after the pentagon papers were published, freedom of. Mary ellen greenfield december 27, 1930 may, 1999, known as meg greenfield, was an american editorial writer who worked for the washington post and newsweek. Apr 02, 2020 meg greenfield, played by carrie coon, is the only woman on the editorial board of the washington post.
T he pentagon papers broke in the new york times on sunday, june, 1971. Media praise ringing hollow norman solomon when they challenged the power of the white house by claiming the right to publish the pentagon papers, the nations two most influential newspapers took a laudable stand. The significance of the pentagon papers heralded a new era of skepticism about the vietnam war and the us government in general. When they challenged the power of the white house by claiming the right to publish the pentagon papers, the nations two most influential newspapers took a laudable stand. Dec 19, 2017 the post tells the story of the pentagon papers, choosing to focus on two key players in the unfolding battle between the free press and a white house that struggled to keep the secrets of how our government handled the vietnam war under wraps. They were first stored in the manhattan apartment of the papers foreign editor, james l. From the pentagon papers and watergate to the bitter pressmens strike to the papers ruined love affair with former mayor marion s. Greenfield won a pulitzer prize for editorial writing.
Kay graham is getting ready with lawyers and advisors for her familyowned company to go public because the ailing paper is in financial need. During the three decades since then, praise for their journalistic courage has become a timehonored. Presidents pushed the countrys first female newspaper publisher and a harddriving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and. The decision to publish the famed pentagon papers in the washington post ultimately came before its publisher, katharine graham.
They finally arrange a meeting in a motel where ellsberg provides bagdikian with over 1,000 printed papers. Dec 22, 2017 the pentagon papers was a coverup that spanned four u. Meg greenfield of the washington post the pulitzer prizes. Streep, hanks take the lead in the post the boston globe. Pentagon papers, papers that contain a history of the u. However, the publications of the report that resulted from these leaks were incomplete and suffered from many quality issues. Electronic files were received as part of the papers of meg greenfield. Spielbergs movie has my late friend meg greenfield reading justice blacks soaring words on the value of an unrestrained press. The end of the vietnam war came with a ceasefire agreement on january 27, 1973 ending u. In response to the leak of the pentagon papers, the federal government teeters on the precipice of abolishing freedom of the press. Though the post tells us that publishing the pentagon papers was right, even heroic, we should not lose sight of the fact that those papers were also classified. The newspaper drama revolves around the pentagon papers and. Meg greenfield, editor extraordinaire the washington post. Includes a 1991 panel discussion with journalists ben bradlee, peter braestrup, robert maynard, carla robbins, robert scheer, and george.
The pulitzer winner meg greenfield, left, and as played by carrie coon. The pentagon papers, officially titled report of the office of the secretary of defense vietnam task force, was commissioned by secretary of defense robert mcnamara in 1967. The post is a 2017 american historical political thriller film directed and produced by steven spielberg, and written by liz hannah and josh singer. Meg greenfield a pioneer for women in opinion journalism, meg greenfield was deputy editor of the posts editorial page. Presidents pushed the countrys first female newspaper publisher and a harddriving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government. What changed the attitude of the times and other mainstream publications was the experience of the vietnam war. Matthew rhys plays daniel ellsberg in steven spielbergs the post but he cant keep his own secrets published. Some reflections on the pentagon papers in the july 31 edition became a classic observation of the supreme courts arguments. Presidents pushed the countrys first female newspaper publisher and a harddriving editor to join an unprecedented battle. The second installment appeared the next day, and when it was clear that the papers would be coming out in an extended.
And while i realize that the media is about as popular these days as botulism, i think most of us would agree that when it works, a free press performs an important service. Consult reference staff in the manuscript division for more information. Carrie coons acting career is making headlines movies. Gloria bartnicki, a negotiator for the teachers union in wyoming valley, pa. The upi dispatch appeared in this paper last week, and we were transfixed by a. Carrie coon plays washington post writer meg greenfield. Long after the pentagon papers were published, freedom of the press remains an issue. The post tells the story of the pentagon papers, choosing to focus on two key players in the unfolding battle between the free press and a white house that struggled to keep the secrets of how our government handled the vietnam war under wraps.
A man named daniel ellsberg essentially stole themspiriting them out of a secure facilityand made copies to distribute to the new york times, the washington post and other newspapers. Scene from steven spielbergs 201718 film, the post, showing, at left, ben bradlee hanks, wcup, kay graham streep next to him, and meg greenfield, seated carrie coon, watching news on tabletop tv set in the washington post newsroom during the tense days of june 1971 as pentagon papers publication was being challenged by the nixon. Once bagdikian obtains them, he informs bradlee, and he gathers other post journalists, including meg greenfield carrie coon and howard simons david cross, to sit and arrange the papers together for their story. It stars meryl streep as katharine graham, the first female publisher of a major american newspaper, and tom hanks as ben bradlee, the longtime executive editor, of the washington post, with sarah paulson, bob odenkirk, tracy letts, bradley. From the pentagon papers and watergate to the bitter pressmens strike.
After daniel ellsberg leaked 7,000 pages of the pentagon papers to the new york times, it was the times that got the story first and took the bigger risk in publishing the topsecret documents. The author is meg greenfield, the pulitzer prize winning editorial page winner of the washington post and a newsweek columnist. The true meaning of the pentagon papers by hadley arkes. Carrie coon on the post, working with oscar winners and. Dec 19, 2017 meryl streep and tom hanks star in a new film about the 1971 pentagon papers scandal. As filming commenced, a number of new york times figures who were associated with the pentagon papers caseamong them james greenfield, james. In june of 1971, small portions of the report were leaked to the press and widely distributed.
You would think that a drama about the pentagon papers the 47volume department of defense dod study on the vietnam war that was leaked to the press in 1971 would be enough for one movie. In the post, streep and hanks lead a stirring homage to. Some reflections on the pentagon papers in the july 31 edition became a classic observation of the. Greenfield, who described the episode in the foreword to the book the pentagon papers.
How the stars of the years biggest movies compare to their reallife counterparts. Dream team of spielberg, hanks and streep combine forces to tell story of washington posts printing of pentagon papers. The battle for the pentagon papers plays offbroadway. Meg greenfield, played by carrie coon, is the only woman on the editorial board of the washington post. Meg greenfield, who died yesterday at the age of 68, was the most important woman newspaper editor in american history. Distinctly trumpian in its themes steven spielbergs drama about the washington posts publication of the pentagon papers is a story for our equally troubled times share on. In the post, streep and hanks lead a stirring homage to the. The post tells the story of the washington posts decision to disclose the pentagon papers over the course of a few weeks in june 1971, an extensive government study that would show that the government had hidden from the public and media the true extent of u.
Gloria bartnicki, a negotiator for the teachers union in wyoming valley, pennsylvania, was recorded in a private conversation. However, the publications of the report that resulted from these leaks were incomplete and suffered from. Presidents pushed the countrys first female newspaper publisher and a harddriving editor to join an unprecedented battle between journalist and government. They were unaware of the full scope of legal repercussions they would be opening. The movie of the moment seems to be the post, a dramatic retelling of the weeks in june 1971 when the washington post raced to catch up with the new york times, which first published portions of the pentagon papers, a secret government study charting americas path to war in vietnam, before the newspaper was restrained by a federal judge from further publication. Mary ellen greenfield december 27, 1930 may, 1999, known as meg greenfield, was an american editorial writer who worked for the washington post. Jan 12, 2018 the post movie and the pentagon papers. Top secret talks women, leadership, law and the press. With meryl streep, tom hanks, sarah paulson, bob odenkirk. The decision of the supreme court would stifle the.