The Story Behind Bradley Manning

Private Bradley Manning is currently in prison for the largest leak in military history. While his motives are complicated, perhaps his hometown of Crescent, Oklahoma predisposed him to look favorably upon leaking: It was the location or a prior famous leak attempt. In 1975, Karen Silkwood left a union meeting supposedly carrying documents about safety violations at the nearby plutonium plant, which she was going to deliver to a New York Times reporter in Oklahoma City. However, she never made it; she was found dead in her crumpled car, with documents nowhere to be found. Crescent, however, hasn’t taken too keenly to Manning: Residents call him “demeaning,” and “a dick.”