Private : Bradley Manning, WikiLeaks, and the Biggest Exposure of Official Secrets in American History

The man at the epicenter of the WikiLeaks controversy Beginning in early 2010, Bradley Manning leaked an astounding amount of classified information to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks: classified combat videos as well as tens of thousands of documents from the war in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands from Iraq, and hundreds of thousands more from embassies around the globe. Almost all of WikiLeaks’s headline-making releases of information have come from one source, and one source only: Bradley Manning. Manning’s story is one of global significance, yet he remains an enigma. Now, for the first time, the full truth is told about a man who, at the age of only twenty-two, changed the world. Though the overarching narrative in media reports on Manning explain his leaks as motivated by the basest, most self-serving intentions, Private paints a far more nuanced, textured portrait of a man haunted by demons and driven by hope, forced into an ethically fraught situation by a dysfunctional military bureaucracy. Relying on numerous conversations with those who know Manning best, this book displays how Manning’s precocious intellect provided fertile ground for his sense of his own intellectual and moral superiority. It relates how a bright kid from middle America signed on to serve his country and found himself serving a cause far more sinister. And it explains what it takes for a person to betray his orders and fellow troops—and his own future—in order to fulfill what he sees as a higher purpose. Manning’s court-martial may be the military trial of the decade, if not the century. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the man behind it all.

Beginning in early 2010, Bradley Manning leaked an astounding amount of classified information to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks: classified combat videos as well as tens of thousands of documents from the war in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands from Iraq, and hundreds of thousands more from embassies around the globe. Almost all of WikiLeaks’s headline-making releases of information have come from one source, and one source only: Bradley Manning.

            Manning’s story is one of global significance, yet he remains an enigma. Now, for the first time, the full truth is told about a man who, at the age of only twenty-two, changed the world.

            Though the overarching narrative in media reports on Manning explain his leaks as motivated by the basest, most self-serving intentions, Private paints a far more nuanced, textured portrait of a man haunted by demons and driven by hope, forced into an ethically fraught situation by a dysfunctional military bureaucracy. Relying on numerous conversations with those who know Manning best, this book displays how Manning’s precocious intellect provided fertile ground for his sense of his own intellectual and moral superiority. It relates how a bright kid from middle America signed on to serve his country and found himself serving a cause far more sinister. And it explains what it takes for a person to betray his orders and fellow troops—and his own future—in order to fulfill what he sees as a higher purpose.             Manning’s court-martial may be the military trial of the decade, if not the century. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the man behind it all.

Please note: this book was written and published prior to Manning's identification as Chelsea. Beginning in early 2010, Chelsea Manning leaked an astounding amount of classified information to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks: classified combat videos as well as tens of thousands of documents from the war in Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands from Iraq, and hundreds of thousands more from embassies around the globe. Almost all of WikiLeaks's headline-making releases of information have come from one source, and one source only: Chelsea Manning. Manning's story is one of global significance, yet she remains an enigma. Now, for the first time, the full truth is told about a woman who, at the age of only twenty-two, changed the world. Though the overarching narrative in media reports on Manning explain her leaks as motivated by the basest, most self-serving intentions, Private paints a far more nuanced, textured portrait of a woman haunted by demons and driven by hope, forced into an ethically fraught situation by a dysfunctional military bureaucracy. Relying on numerous conversations with those who know Manning best, this book displays how Manning's precocious intellect provided fertile ground for her sense of her own intellectual and moral superiority. It relates how a bright kid from middle America signed on to serve her country and found herself serving a cause far more sinister. And it explains what it takes for a person to betray her orders and fellow troops—and her own future—in order to fulfill what she sees as a higher purpose. Manning's court-martial may be the military trial of the decade, if not the century. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the woman behind it all. Bradley Manning perpetrated the biggest breach of military security in American history. This intelligence analyst leaked an astounding amount of classified information to WikiLeaks: classified combat videos and hundreds of thousands of documents from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and from embassies around the globe. Almost all of WikiLeaks's headline-making releases of information have come from one source only: Bradley Manning. The leaks affected governments the world over--the Arab uprisings were spurred, in part, by Manning's revelations. They propelled WikiLeaks to a level of international prominence it never had before. The world would never be the same. Bradley Manning’s story is one of global significance, and yet he remains an enigma. Now, for the first time, the full truth will be told about a man who, at the age of only twenty-two, changed the world. Nicks's book paints a nuanced portrait of a man haunted by demons and driven by hope, impulsive and cocky yet idealistic enough to follow his conscience. Relying on numerous conversations with those who know Manning best, Nicks gives the full story of a bright, gay kid from middle America who signs on to serve his country and finds himself serving a cause he finds far more sinister, and why he betrayed his oath and fellow troops--and his own future--in order to fulfill what he saw as a higher purpose. Denver Nicks has written for The Daily Beast, The Nation, AlterNet, and other publications. He lives in New York City. Cover 1 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Author’s Note on Sources 10 Introduction 16 1. Crescent 24 2. Hack the World 44 3. General Manning 66 4. Dixie Charm 86 5. Building WikiLeaks 112 6. Carl Sagan 124 7. Shakoosh 138 8. Collateral Damage 168 9. WikiLeaked 210 10. Saving Private Manning 242 11. Secrecy Is for Losers 272 Acknowledgments 280 Notes 282 Back Cover 298 Presents the life of the soldier who committed a massive national security breach by releasing thousands of classified documents to WikiLeaks, exploring the influence of his political views and gender identity issues on his actions