What The Press Missed About the Pentagon Papers | On the Media | WNYC Studios

The late Leslie Gelb, the man who supervised the team that compiled the Pentagon Papers, wasn't a character in the 2017 Hollywood drama, "The Post." During his life, he was rarely called for comment in documentaries and films about the Pentagon Papers leak. Back in 1971, Gelb was troubled by the publication of the Papers by both the New York Times and the Washington Post, but he came to see that they demonstrated the major flaws of the Vietnam War effort. Brooke spoke with Gelb a few years back about what the Pentagon Papers were trying to achieve in the first place, how they're understood by the public, and what "The Post" missed in its interpretation.