To facilitate discussion of the controversy surrounding Edward Snowden’s leak of classified information, the Prof Edwards Night at the Movies series began last night with “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.”
The movie tells the story of a former Pentagon insider who decides to challenge a presidency that didn’t answer to Congress, the press or the people of the country who wanted to end the Vietnam War.
Hall Rollins, sophomore in biology, said, “All of the scandals are crazy especially all of the things that happened with Nixon.”
About 50 people attended the event Tuesday night which organizers said they hoped discussion around the movie would focus on National Security Agency surveillance of American Citizens.
Robert Kitchen, sophomore in psychology, said, “I’m not going to lie, I only came for the extra credit, but this movie gave me a new outlook on our government, now I kind of wonder what else they lied about.”
While the Pentagon Papers may not directly affect most college-aged individuals, the issues surrounding publication of sensitive information are as relevant today as they were in 1971 when the legal precedent was set. And some professors were reminded of the time when the draft started.
SusAnn Key, coordinator for supplemental instruction, said, “We didn’t know what we should do. Should we protest the war? If my husband gets drafted, should we leave the U.S. and go to Canada, or stay here and go to jail?”
This series is intended to bring faculty and students together on campus to discuss a series of political issues in an informal setting.