Daniel Ellsberg was the cause of one of the biggest political controversies in the history of the United States when he released the Pentagon Papers in 1971. This top-secret Pentagon study of U.S. government decision-making concerning the Vietnam War was released to various newspapers. When the New York Times was stopped by a Nixon administration court order, Ellsberg leaked the 7,000 pages of documents to the Washington Post and 17 other publications. These revelations clearly showed deceptive practices by the government and played a significant role in changing the views of many Americans - and ultimately in changing history. When Ellsberg turned himself in to face trial for his actions, he said, "I felt that as an American citizen, as a responsible citizen, I could no longer cooperate in concealing this information from the American public. I did this clearly at my own jeopardy and I am prepared to answer to all the consequences of this decision." After a trial which revealed massive corruption and various nefarious plots against Ellsberg, all charges were dismissed.