What Are the Pentagon Papers' '11 Secret Words'?

Twitter users offer their best guesses
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 10, 2011 1:23 PM CDT
Vietnam War: What Are the Pentagon Papers' '11 Secret Words'?
A screen grab of the Twitter feed.   (Twitter)

Decades after they were leaked, the Pentagon Papers are finally being released on Monday by the federal government—which originally said 11 words would remain censored. Officials have since changed their minds, and we may never know what 11 words they intended to keep quiet. Not even leaker Daniel Ellsburg or Leslie Gelb, whose task force wrote the report, have a clue. (Though Gelb guesses they might deal with peace negotiations.) The New York Times asked Twitter users to take a shot. A sampling, along with their Twitter handles:

  • “Newspapers will be dead by the time we declassify this stuff.” (@Katz)
  • “The President requires dry-cleaning for his silken undergarments once a week.” (@jendeaderick)
  • “Justin Bieber was 'born' in Area 51; let mass testing begin.” (@Alphey)
  • “The giant radioactive lizard is available for counterinsurgency purposes, McNamara said.” (@thesobsister)
  • “Rosebud is the sled. Soylent Green is People. Kristin Shot JR.” (@FasterthanShaun)
Visit the Twitter feed for more. (More Pentagon Papers stories.)

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