American Exception
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Episode 59: Watergate and Vietnam w/Daniel Ellsberg and Peter Dale Scott
🕑 Added 2022-07-20 02:46:38 +0000 UTCAaron speaks with Daniel Ellsberg and Peter Dale Scott about key issues on the 50th anniversary of the Watergate arrests. Specifically, they discuss Nixon’s Vietnam strategy, the way these plans were threatened by the leak of the Pentagon Papers, and the mysteries around Watergate which collectively suggest that Nixon’s resignation was effected by forces to the right of Nixon himself.
Daniel Ellsberg was an analyst for the Pentagon and RAND before he made the fateful decision to leak the Pentagon Papers—a top secret study on the US involvement in Vietnam from Truman to LBJ. Ellsberg is the author of two memoirs—Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers, and The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner. He is also the subject of The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, an Oscar-nominated documentary that Edward Snowden credited for inspiring his own act of whistleblowing.
Peter Dale Scott is a former Canadian diplomat and retired UC Berkeley Professor of English. He is the author of numerous books of poetry and prose, including The War Conspiracy, Coming to Jakarta, Deep Politics and the Death of JFK, Cocaine Politics (with Jonathan Marshall), Drugs, Oil, and War, The Road to 9/11, American War Machine, and The American Deep State.
Special thanks to Casey Moore for the episode art and Dana Chavarria for the sound engineering!
Seamus McGuinness is producing a video version of this episode which should be coming soon!
Music: "This Nation" by Mock Orange
Comments
William Stearns
One of the most incredible podcasts I have ever listened to. Feels like eavesdropping on an insider’s experience of history. I’m certain this is going to be listened to 50, 100 years from now. F’ing bravo 👏
Aaron Good
Yeah, I think so too. Pretty funny in the context of how long they have known each other. Kind of priceless stuff, really!
Strangely Enough
Dan and Peter's interactions are great. Leaving them in makes the episode better.
Michael Swanson
great show, great to listen to all three of you at once
NYCM&AHole
Uff not gonna be able to finish this ep tonight
