Reviewing the record of American intervention in Indochina in the Pentagon Papers, one cannot fail to be struck by the continuity of basic assumptions from one administration to the next. Never has there been the slightest deviation from the principle that a noncommunist regime must be imposed and defended, regardless of popular sentiment.

There is no plausible theory under which the record of the Pentagon Papers can be interpreted as relating to the national defense.

The government argues that First Amendment rights are outweighed by the need to prosecute those who transmit classified information and documents.

Noam Chomsky Quotes