Robert Ellsberg To Appear At Free Screening of The Most Dangerous Man in America 4/30

On April 30 at 2:30 pm, there will be a free screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary, "The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and The Pentagon Papers" (2010, :94), a film by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith that was partially funded by The Yip Harburg Foundation. Robert Ellsberg, Daniel's son and a key figure in the Pentagon Papers affair, will appear at the event for a talk-back and questions.

The film was a 2010 Academy Award Nominee and has won seven other prizes to-date.

The multiple award-winning film traces how Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concluded that the war was based on decades of lies and leaked 7,000 pages of top secret documents to The New York Times, making headlines around the world. Ellsberg risked life in prison to stop a war he helped plan. This story of one man's profound change of heart is also a piercing look at the world of government secrecy as revealed by the ultimate insider. Marked by a landmark battle between America's greatest newspapers and its president--that went to the Supreme Court--this political thriller unravels the political saga that lead directly to Watergate, Nixon's resignation and the end of the Vietnam War.

Robert Ellsberg is Daniel's son by his first marriage and was 13 years old when his father asked for his help in Xeroxing the top-secret Pentagon Papers study. Robert was later called before the Grand Jury to testify to his father's acts and Robert's testimony served in part as the basis of the indictment against Ellsberg and a "co-conspirator," Tony Russo. At age 19, he joined the progressive Catholic Worker Movement and worked with its founder, Dorothy Day for the last five years of her life. Robert earned a Master's degree in Theology from Harvard Divinity School. He is currently the publisher of Orbis Books, The publishing arm of the Maryknoll Fathers. He is the author of several books including "All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets, and Witnesses for Our Time" and assisted with the editing of "Secrets" (2002), his father's book about the Pentagon Papers. Most recently, he edited "The Duty of Delight: The Diaries of Dorothy Day" (2008).

New York Magazine (David Edelstein) called the film "Riveting! A straight-ahead, enthralling story of moral courage. This story changed the world. The movie offers one revelatory interview after another. CRITICS' PICK!" The New York Times (Mike Hale) deemed it "Detailed, clearly told, persuasive..." The New York Post (V.A. Musetto) called it "The most exciting thriller I've seen in a while - as powerful as anything Hollywood can throw at us."

The Yip Harburg Foundation (www.yipharburg.com) advances and promotes new works of American political art, especially efforts involving cultural and societal issues. To that end, it has funded or helped to fund over 50 political documentaries to-date. This screening is part of the ongoing Yip Harburg Political Documentary Series, a program of the NY Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, where Yip Harburg's Creative Archive is also housed.

This free screening will be Friday, April 30 at 2:30 PM in Bruno Walter Auditorium, 40 Lincoln Center Plaza. Reservations are not required. For further info, go to the film's website, www.mostdangerousman.org. For more event information, call the Yip Harburg Foundation office at 212-343-9668.