Daniel Ellsberg, Whistleblower Who Exposed U.S. Government Lies About Vietnam War, Passes Away at Age 92

Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who exposed the U.S. government’s lies about the Vietnam War by leaking the Pentagon Papers to some of the nation’s top newspapers, has died, his family confirmed in a statement to CBS News on Friday. Ellsberg died early Friday morning at his home in Kensington, California, of pancreatic cancer, his family said.

In a tribute to Ellsberg, his family said he was a “seeker of truth and a patriotic truth-teller, an antiwar activist, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, a dear friend to many, and an inspiration to countless more.”

Ellsberg’s demise came about four months after he announced on Twitter that he had been diagnosed with “inoperable pancreatic cancer.” His family said he wasn’t in pain and was surrounded by loved ones when he died.

The Pentagon Papers, which Ellsberg leaked in 1971, revealed that the U.S. government had lied to the public about the progress of the Vietnam War. The documents showed that the government had known the war was unwinnable, but had continued to send troops into battle.

Ellsberg’s family said that he had a great sense of humor until the very end. “In his final days, surrounded by so much love from so many people, Daniel joked, ‘If I had known dying would be like this, I would have done it sooner,'” they said.

Ellsberg’s legacy will live on in the hearts of those he inspired and the truth he revealed.