PENTAGON PAPERS
and the
THE NEW YORK TIMES RESEARCHERS

By Linda Amster, Head, The New York Times Research Department

[Editor's note: 1996 is the 25th anniversary of the publication of The Pentagon Papers by The New York Times. The significance of this investigative research into the deception of the Vietnam and Indochina foreign policy makers associated with four US presidents cannot be overstated. It is a triumph of the freedom of the press that the papers were made available to the public by The New York Times and The Washington Post. What follows is a retrospective of the research done in a secret location by The New York Times editors and reporters and head of research, Linda Amster. Notice in the original publication the credits; Amster is given acknowledgement for her research contributions. Here is her recollection of the episode.]

"Barbara, I've wracked my brain, trying to remember all the sources I used while researching the Pentagon Papers, and I'm sorry that I haven't been able to recall all of them. What I remember . . .

* is making discreetly-worded phone calls to ascertain whether specific information had ever been disclosed;

* trekking to the NYPL and to Columbia's library to check out the possible existence of documents;

* is a mini-library I set up in the hideout Hilton Hotel -- of books about the Vietnam war;

* and, of course, reliance on prior Times coverage (from our incredible morgue)."

[Editor's note #2: Following is a reproduction of the credit page in the original New York Times publication of the Pentagon Papers. You will note Linda Amster's name midway on the page.]




		New York Times Staff for
		  The Pentagon Papers

Over-all supervision:
	James L. Greenfield, Foreign Editor,
		The New York Times

Assisting Editors:
	Max Lowenthal		Betsy Wade
	Richard McSorley	Werner Wiskari

Chief of research:
		    Linda Amster

Writer of biographical sketches and highlights:
		    Linda Charlton

Picture Editor:
		    Renato Perez

Editorial Assistants:
	Eileen Butler		Catherine Patitucci
	Vincent Caltagirone	Robert J. Rosenthal
	Marie Courtney		Catherine L. Shea
	Gail Fresco		Muriel Stokes
		    Leslie A. Tonner

______________
[Editor's note: In recent years, Linda Amster has written a number of books. Below is a photo of Linda during one of her book signing opportunities.]