Neil Sheehan
Neil Sheehan | |
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Born | Cornelius Mahoney Sheehan October 27, 1936 Holyoke, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Died | January 7, 2021 Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 84)
Education | Harvard University |
Occupation | Journalist |
Cornelius Mahoney Sheehan (October 27, 1936 – January 7, 2021) was an American journalist. As a reporter for
He received a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award for his 1988 book A Bright Shining Lie, about the life of Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann and the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.[2]
Early life
Sheehan was born in
Career
Following his discharge, Sheehan spent two years covering the war in
In the fall of 1966, he became the Pentagon correspondent. Two years later, he began reporting on the White House. He was a correspondent on political, diplomatic, and military affairs. After being notified of their existence by Marcus Raskin and Ralph Stavins at the Institute for Policy Studies, Sheehan copied the Pentagon Papers for the Times on March 2, 1971,[6][7][8][9][10] against leaker and Vietnam-era acquaintance Daniel Ellsberg's wishes. He made the copies with the help of his wife Susan in numerous copy shops in Boston, then they flew with the copies to a hotel room at The Jefferson in Washington for reading, before mailing them to his editor James L. Greenfield's apartment, then he worked with Greenfield and a large team of editors, writers and lawyers on organizing the copies for publication in the New York Hilton Midtown, as he would later reveal in 2015.[11][10] The U.S. government tried to halt publication and the case, New York Times Co. v. United States (403 U.S. 713), saw the U.S. Supreme Court reject the government's position and establish a landmark First Amendment decision. The exposé would earn The New York Times the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.[3]
In 1970, Sheehan reviewed Conversations With Americans by
Sheehan published an article in the
Sheehan published his first book, The Arnheiter Affair, in 1972. Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter, the subject of the book, proceeded to bring an action for libel against Sheehan but was ultimately unsuccessful.[14] Sheehan then secured an unpaid leave from the Times to work on a book about John Paul Vann, a dramatic figure among American leaders in the early stages of the war in Vietnam. Two years later, in November 1974, Sheehan was badly injured in a road accident on a snowy mountain road in western Maryland. Sheehan's wife, the veteran New Yorker staff writer Susan Sheehan, chronicled details of the accident and its emotional, legal, and financial impact in a 1978 article for the magazine.[15] The time and effort spent fighting three libel suits in connection with his first book that endured until 1979, and Sheehan's lengthy recovery from his injuries, delayed work on his Vietnam book. After the Times ended his unpaid leave in 1976, he formally resigned from the newspaper to continue work on the book.[16]
Although he received an advance of $67,500 (of which he was entitled to $45,000 prior to publication) from
Still beset by health problems (including a
Later life
External videos | |
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Q&A interview with Sheehan on A Fiery Peace in a Cold War, September 20, 2009, C-SPAN |
Sheehan released the book, After the War Was Over: Hanoi and Saigon, in 1992.[24] It was inspired by his visit to Vietnam three years earlier.[3] He published his last book, A Fiery Peace in a Cold War, in 2009. It detailed the story of Bernard Schriever, who was the father of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile system.[3][14]
Personal life
Sheehan was introduced to his wife, Susan Margulies, by fellow reporter Gay Talese.[14] She wrote for The New Yorker at the time,[14] and subsequently won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for Is There No Place on Earth for Me? in 1983.[19] They married in 1965,[14] and had two daughters (Catherine and Maria).[3]
Sheehan died on January 7, 2021, at his home in Washington, D.C. He was 84, and suffered from complications of Parkinson's disease in the time leading up to his death.[3]
Books
- The Pentagon Papers as published by the New York Times (1971), ISBN 9780552649179
- The Arnheiter Affair (1972) – about Marcus Aurelius Arnheiter, a U.S. Navy officer relieved of command in 1966[25]
- ISBN 9781407063904
- After the War Was Over: Hanoi and Saigon (1992), ISBN 9780679745075
- A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon (2009), ISBN 9780679745495
In popular culture
Sheehan was portrayed by Jonas Chernick in The Pentagon Papers (2003),[26] and Justin Swain in The Post (2017).[27] He appears as himself in Ken Burns' 2017 documentary series, The Vietnam War.[28]
References
- ^ "New York Times Co. v. United States, 403 U.S. 713 (1971)". Retrieved December 5, 2005.
- ^ "Pulitzer Prize-winning author Neil Sheehan dies at 84". The Hindu. January 8, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g Scott, Janny (January 7, 2021). "Neil Sheehan Dies at 84; Times Reporter Obtained the Pentagon Papers". The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ "The Spy Of Saigon". Forbes.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ Author Profile Archived October 12, 2012, at the Wayback Machine; C-SPAN; October 22, 1988
- ^ Young, Michael (June 2002). "The devil and Daniel Ellsberg: From archetype to anachronism (review of Wild Man: The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg)". Reason. p. 2. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ Italie, Hillel (June 16, 2023). "Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked Pentagon Papers exposing Vietnam War secrets, dies at 92". Associated Press of New York. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Chokshi, Niraj (December 20, 2017). "Behind the Race to Publish the Top-Secret Pentagon Papers". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Sanger, David E.; Scott, Janny; Harlan, Jennifer; Gallagher, Brian (June 9, 2021). "'We're Going to Publish': An Oral History of the Pentagon Papers". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ Scott, Janny (January 7, 2021). "How Neil Sheehan Got the Pentagon Papers". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2023.
- ^ Sheehan, Neil (December 27, 1970). "Conversations with Americans". The New York Times. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
- .
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Harrison (January 7, 2021). "Neil Sheehan, N.Y. Times reporter who obtained Pentagon Papers and chronicled 'Bright Shining Lie' of Vietnam, dies at 84". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
- ^ Sheehan, Susan (September 25, 1978). "The Accident". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Sheehan, Susan (April 15, 1990). "When Will The Book Be Done?". The New York Times. Retrieved January 7, 2021. Author of Is There No Place On Earth For Me? which won the Pulitzer Prize For Nonfiction in 1983.
- ^ a b Prochnau, William (October 9, 1988). "16 YEARS OF SOLITUDE". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "Marquis Biographies Online". Search.marquiswhoswho.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ a b "General Nonfiction". Past winners & finalists by category. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ "National Book Awards – 1988". National Book Foundation. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- American Academy of Achievement.
- ^ Roberts, Roxanne (May 4, 2003). "You Have A Dream". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Neil Sheehan Biography Photo". 2003.
Awards Council member Neil Sheehan presents Thomas L. Friedman, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, with the Academy's Golden Plate Award during the 2003 International Achievement Summit in Washington, D.C.
- ISBN 9780679413912.
- ISBN 9780394473635.
- ^ Speier, Michael (March 5, 2003). "The Pentagon Papers". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "The Post (2017)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
- ^ "Credits – The Vietnam War: A film by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick". PBS. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
External links
Archives at | ||
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How to use archival material |
- Neil Sheehan at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN