Description: This bold account provides an original perspective on one of the most significant legal struggles in American history: the Nixon administration's efforts to prohibit the New York Times and the Washington Post from publishing the 7,000-page, top-secret Pentagon Papers, which traced U.S. involvement in Vietnam. In his gripping account of this highly charged case, Rudenstine examines new evidence, raises difficult questions, and challenges conventional views of a historic moment.

"Told with more panache than a John Grisham novel. Though others have written books about the case, this is the best". -- Steve Weinberg, Newsday

"A rich, textured, balanced, and clear-headed recounting of one of the most important First Amendment cases of our time". -- Anthony Marro, Columbia Journalism Review

"Rudenstine combines excellent writing with new information to create the best book on the subject". -- Publishers Weekly, in their list of the Best Books of 1996

"An excellent way to teach students about the constitutional questions of executive power ... in the context of gripping questions about freedom of the press.... (Will) allow a much richer and more informed discussion of executive power, freedom of the press, and the politics of legal decision making". -- Susan Sterett, The Law and Politics Book Review

"Rudenstine's interest is legal as much as it is historical. Every argument, every submission, every opinion, is dissected and analyzed for its legal coherence, its strength and impact". -- Robert D. Sack, New York Law

"Rudenstine has invented a new genre, the litigation-thriller. This is true notwithstanding the fact that his meticulous account of the case of the Pentagon papers iscalculated to complicate our ability to tell the First Amendment absolutist good guys from the bad". -- Victor Navasky, Publisher and Editorial Director of The Nation

"A masterful examination of the inside political tactics and journalistic decision-making process involved in the case". -- Bill Wallace, San Francisco Chronicle

"Rudenstine's splendid history of the case offers the reader an insight into how high a bar the Government must clear....Even though the result of the case has been known for a quarter-century, his narrative breathes the suspense and concerns of that moment". -- Adam Clymer, New York Times Book Review

"This book is a rare combination, painstakingly scholarly and also a page-turner... Rudenstine's fresh evidence, stimulating conclusions and effective writing make this a thought-provoking book for students and practitioners of journalism". -- Timothy Cook, Washington Post

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