Remembering Dan Ellsberg

And Memorial at Upcoming Whistleblower Summit

Scroll down for the repost of my Tribute to Dan Ellsberg, written after his diagnosis and for the study that he inspired on the psychology of truth-tellers.

First, here is the message from his family.

Letter from Daniel Ellsberg’s Family
June 16, 2023

Daniel Ellsberg died peacefully today in his home in Kensington, CA. He was not in pain, and was surrounded by loving family. His cause of death was pancreatic cancer, diagnosed on February 17th.

In the months since his diagnosis, Daniel continued to speak out urgently to the media about nuclear dangers, especially the threat of nuclear war posed by the Ukraine war and Taiwan. Links to these interviews are here. (More links to his articles and interviews over the past several years are here.)

Dan also shared many moments of love and joy in these months, including celebrating his 92nd birthday (April 7) and Patricia's 85th birthday (April 26), along with many visits and calls with friends and family. He was thrilled to be able to give up the salt-free diet his doctor had him on for five years; hot chocolate, croissants, cake, poppyseed bagels, and lox gave him extra pleasure in these final months. He also enjoyed re-watching his favorite movies, including several viewings of his all-time favorite, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 

In his final days, surrounded by so much love from so many people, Daniel joked, "If I had known dying would be like this, I would have done it sooner." (Patricia replied, "Then I'm glad you didn't.")

Thank you, everyone, for your outpouring of love, appreciation, and well-wishes to Dan. It all warmed his heart at the end of his life.

Daniel was a seeker of truth and a patriotic truth-teller, an antiwar activist, a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, a treasured friend to many, and an inspiration to countless more. He will be dearly missed by all of us. 

We will be arranging a public Zoom memorial in the coming months. This will be announced on Daniel’s Twitter and Facebook with plenty of advance notice. We'll also email you to let you know.

Thank you, Daniel, for sharing your wisdom, your heart, and your conscience with the world. We will keep your flame alive.

—Patricia, Mary, Robert, and Michael Ellsberg 
   Kensington, California, 6/16/23

Daniel Ellsberg's Office
https://www.ellsberg.net

Whistleblowers Summit, July 22 - 30, 2023 in DC & Virtually

Dan is recognized as the father of whistleblowers. He has generously reached out to support many who followed. He encourages people to speak out and not to wait, and to be aware of the risks.

I have been attending the annual Whistleblowers Summits in DC for many years. In 2021, Dan was the keynote speaker. I was just asked to organize a memorial for Dan at the opening of this conference on the evening July 28 at Busboys and Poets in DC.

I highly recommend this conference which is always high quality, very informative and emotionally intense as whistleblowers usually endure harsh retaliation. I always learn a lot and meet extremely interesting, courageous people, many traumatized.

We need to bear witness, support truth-tellers and shine a light on them and the issues they expose. There is safety in numbers and sunlight.

Please attend in person or virtually.

For immediate Release
For more informa0on, contact: Jessica Novak
201-919-4070 jnovak@haydenfilmsinstitute.org

Save the Date: 11th Annual Whistleblower Summit & Film Fes9val Announced

WASHINGTON – From July 22 to 30, 2023, the 11th annual Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival will be held at Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. ACORN 8 in association with the Justice Integrity Project are proud to announce the theme for the event is the 60th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination and films, speakers and panel presentations may reflect this idea. Films are currently being accepted through FilmFreeway until May 31, 2023.

“Whistleblowers pay a very high price for speaking truth to power and for having integrity,” says Co-Founder and Managing Director, Michael McCray. “Publishers win Pulitzers, books are bestsellers, but whistleblowers risk their lives and livelihood with nothing in return.”

“We are excited to recognize Abraham Bolden (African American) an important JFK Secret Service Agent turned whistleblower at this year’s summit” said Andrew Kreig, Executive Director for the Justice Integrity Project.

McCray hopes the festival will continue to draw attention to whistleblowers, their powerful stories and their tremendous bravery.

Event schedules for this hybrid event will be announced soon. The festival will be sponsored by Cemboo, a new plaform which enables content owners to control, monetize and distribute their own digital media content. All panels and films will screen virtually through Cemboo. Event organizers are proud that the Whistleblower Summit is a pioneering use case for this exciting new distribution partner powered by Amazon.

“No more fattening frogs for snakes,” McCray says. “It’s time to take back our empowerment.”

Festival organizers are proud to present the event on Capitol Hill where attendees can rub elbows with famous whistleblowers like Frank Serpico and Jeff Wigand or meet political leaders like Senator Charles Grassley or former House Representative and Jonestown survivor, Jackie Speier (D-CA).

Whistleblower Summit schedule at a glance:

Saturday, July 22 – Opening Night / Film Festival
Sunday, July 23 – Film Festival Screenings
Monday, July 24 – Office of Whistleblower Ombuds (House Staff Event Only) Tuesday, July 25 – Film Festival Screenings
Wednesday, July 26 – Film Festival Screenings
Thursday, July 27 – National Whistleblower Day Luncheon(NWC Independent event) Friday, July 28 – Capital Hill / In-Person Panels and Busboys & Poets (Book Signing) Saturday, July 29 -- Film Festival Screenings
Sunday, July 30 – National Press Club

"Democracies rely on Whistleblowers” said Marcel Reid, Co-Founder and Festival Director. “We are excited to partner with Cemboo and their innovative plaform with Amazon.”

Organizers are currently looking for films about whistleblowers, The First Amendment or that touch on one or several human rights issues including freedom of expression, women’s rights, discrimination and more.

The 11th Annual Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival takes place July 22 to 30. More information can be found at www.whistleblowersummit.com

Here are the results of my psychological study of moral heroism and the Courageous Personality, Inspired by Dan.