The one-year anniversary of Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg’s death on June 16 is being marked by Daniel Ellsberg Week and the release of a new documentary directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Judith Ehrlich, with never-before-seen footage of Ellsberg warning about heightened dangers of nuclear war.
Now premiering online without charge, the 37-minute film “A Common Insanity: A Conversation with Daniel Ellsberg About Nuclear Weapons” can be viewed here.
Ellsberg’s last book, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner, points to scientists’ conclusions that a thermonuclear war would cause “nuclear winter” and doom almost all of the Earth’s inhabitants.
Interviewed for the new documentary, Ellsberg said: “Can humanity survive the nuclear era? We don’t know. I choose to act as if we have a chance.”
In an article published this week, “Honoring Daniel Ellsberg’s Legacy One Year After His Death,” Norman Solomon wrote: “Above all, Daniel Ellsberg was preoccupied with opposing policies that could lead to nuclear war. … He was eager to awaken Congress to scientific data about ‘nuclear winter’ and the imperative of shutting down ICBMs to reduce the risks of nuclear war.”
Available for interviews:
JUDITH EHRLICH, ehrlich.judith@gmail.com
Ehrlich co-directed and produced the Oscar-nominated documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers.”
NORMAN SOLOMON, norman@accuracy.org
Solomon’s latest book is “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.” He is the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy.