Memorandum from Daniel Ellsberg to General Edward Landsdale, November 26, 1965

This document is a memo to General Edward Lansdale (1908 – 1987) from Daniel Ellsberg dated November 26, 1965. In this memo, Ellsberg expresses concern about the quality and relevance of information reported from the field in Vietnam to higher-level officials. This is a fascinating document because it shows how Ellsberg conceived improving the war from within the system. In 1965, Ellsberg was not questioning the morality of the war. However, he did seem to examine the efficacy of the system. This document also hints at the profound lack of understanding that top officials had about the Vietnamese reality.

-Cai Gabrielle Barias