From the Center for Investigative Reporting in PRX, this is Reveal. I'm Al Letson.

I was at a friend's place and I heard her laugh there. What was going on with the friends?

It was also high. I guess smoke at a joy.

That's Robert Rosie Rosenthaw. He used to run our newsroom and is now one of our board members.

He's talking to our former colleague Michael Corey. Rosie's a born storyteller and the story we're about to bring you has become one of our favorites.

We rerun it each year around this time. I guess I love it so much because it intersects with history, free speech, and the power of the press.

And of course Rosie. The story begins in 1971 and Rosie is about six months into an entry-level job at the New York Times.

And the phone rings and you know we didn't pay any attention. But then I hear his mother's voice saying Robert, she called me Robert. Robert it's for you.

So I'm like, who knows I'm here.

It was one of the top editors at the Times. He told Rosie, don't come into the newsroom in the morning. Go to room 11-11 of the Hilton Hotel.

Don't tell anyone where you're going and bring enough clothes for at least a month. You know what I was like, what?

So Rosie showed up the next day and the Times had set up a whole mini newsroom in the middle of this giant hotel where they figured no one would notice them if they were careful.

You're going to be working on a really incredible story that is top secret and involves the US government and it's going to be risky.

And I remember saying risky. Why it's risky. Well within a few hours I was zero-oxing the Pentagon papers and looking at things that said, you know, top secret for your eyes only.

The Pentagon papers, a trove of classified documents on the Vietnam War.

With the New York Times published them, it set off a chain reaction that helped bring down a president.

This story is especially relevant today as Americans have spent the past few months watching impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

And it was this moment back in 1971 when Rosie was just 22 years old that would contribute to President Nixon's downfall.

And Rosie, he had a front row seat.

That whole experience for me really shaped my career in terms of taking risk and working with great people and understanding the power of the press.

And it was fun. It was really fun.

Rosie shares a particular bond with the government insider who leaked the papers. Daniel Ellsberg. The two guys spent more time than probably anyone else on Earth secretly copying the Pentagon papers. All 7,000 pages.

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