© 2026 The Couch Critic
Status
Released
Release
2009
Runtime
1h 32m
Available options inUS
"Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers"
"The Most Dangerous Man in America" is the story of what happens when a former Pentagon insider, armed only with his conscience, steadfast determination, and a file cabinet full of classified documents, decides to challenge an "imperial" presidency – answerable to neither Congress, the press, nor the people – in order to help end the Vietnam War.
28 Cast Members
Daniel Ellsberg
Self (Narraror)
Patricia Ellsberg
Self
John Dean
Self - White House Counsel to President Nixon
Howard Zinn
Self - Historian
Peter Arnett
Self - Associated Press Correspondent (archive footage)
Ben Bagdikian
Self - Editor, Washington Post
Ann Beeson
Self - Associate Legal Director, ACLU
Robert Ellsberg
Self - Daniel's Son
Richard Falk
Self - Professor of International Law
Max Frankel
Self - Washington Bureau Chief, New York Times
J. William Fulbright
Self - Chair Foreign Relations Committee (archive footage)
James Goodale
Self - General Counsel, New York Times
Mike Gravel
Self - Senator (D-Alaska)
Morton Halperin
Self - Supervisor, Vietnam War Study (as Mort Halperin)
Lyndon B. Johnson
Self - President (archive footage) (as Lyndon Johnson)
Randy Kehler
Self - Draft Resister
Bud Krogh
Self - Director, 'Plumbers' Unit (as Egil Krogh)
Pete McCloskey
Self - Representative, California
Robert McNamara
Self (archive footage)
Wayne Morse
Self - Senator, Oregon (archive footage)
