In a speech presented to the Dresden Peace Prize 2016, Edward Snowden acknowledges the importance of inspiration from Daniel Ellsberg (and “The Most Dangerous Man In America”).
“The film that you recently watched, (“The Most Dangerous Man in America”) is one that I myself watched. But it wasn’t this year or the year before. It was in the year 2012, the year before I came forward. In (Daniel Ellsberg’s) example, seeing what he could see, the choices that he faced, seeing how he struggled with the same sort of moral complexities that I myself was unable to resolve, helped me see that there was a model from people that came forward before. At different – at higher levels! Even more deeply embedded in government understanding. And they came to the conclusion that it was not enough to recognize, that something is wrong. It is not enough to simply raise a good point. We have not just the right but the moral obligation to ourselves and to society if we have the capability to achieve positive result for our families, for the future of our countries.
If I could simplify the connection, I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that without Daniel Ellsberg there could not be an Edward Snowden.”
Click here to see the complete speech by Snowden.
