American investigative reporter and author who has often been labeled a master of governmental expose. He is noted for his award-winning articles on the My Lai massacre, CIA domestic spying and wiretaps, and other major stories. He was named the recipient of a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 and has written four controversial books as he was once quoted as saying, “I want people to know the truth.” He earned his B.A. in history in 1958 and began his journalism career the following year as a copy boy. Later, he became a police reporter, worked for the UPI, became a member of the Washington Press Corps and reported as a correspondent to the Pentagon.
On 11/10/1997, his biography, “The Dark Side of Camelot,” was published with a $1 million advance. The reviewers were harder on Hersh than on his subject, John F. Kennedy, calling the book a rehash of gossip and biased reporting. He serves up long-standing rumors, many of which are unsubstantiated, about JFK’s alleged mob connections, a brief marriage in 1947 and a history of venereal disease, as well as the womanizing that is no longer news.
The son of a dry cleaner and a homemaker, Hersh is the twin brother of Alan, a physicist in California, and the younger brother of twin sisters. The product of a happy childhood, he is a self-styled outsider, brash and fearless who does not mind being labeled a hothead.
He was married on 5/30/1964 to Elizabeth Klein, now a psychiatrist; they have three kids. When he is not beating the bushes for issues to attack, he is making ferocious moves on the tennis court.
The investigative journalist has been openly critical of the Bush administration and the Iraq war. His latest book “Chain of Command: The Road from 9/11 to Abu Ghraib,” was released on September 13, 2004.
Link to Wikipedia biography