The Pentagon Papers were a top-secret government study of the Vietnam War, commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1967. The study was leaked to the press in 1971 by Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst who had become disillusioned with the war.

The Pentagon Papers revealed several shocking facts about the war, including:

• The United States had been secretly bombing Cambodia and Laos since 1964.
• The Johnson administration had lied to the public about the war’s progress.
• The war was unwinnable and would only lead to more death and destruction.

The release of the Pentagon Papers was a major turning point in the Vietnam War. It led to a loss of public support for the war and helped accelerate the end of the conflict.

The Pentagon Papers also had a significant impact on American society. They raised questions about the government’s trustworthiness and the role of the media in a democracy. The Pentagon Papers also helped to strengthen the First Amendment right to freedom of the press.

Here are some of the specific revelations of the Pentagon Papers:

• The United States had been involved in Vietnam since the 1940s, long before the war began in earnest in 1954.
• The Johnson administration had deliberately misled the public about the war, claiming that it was going well when, in fact, it was not.
• The war was not winnable, and the United States was only prolonging it by continuing to fight.
• The war was causing massive civilian casualties, and the United States was directly responsible for many of these deaths.
• The war was a drain on the American economy, and it was diverting resources from other important priorities.

The Pentagon Papers were a major scandal and led to several investigations and resignations. However, they also profoundly impacted American society and helped change how the government and the media are perceived.