While attempting to take this photo at face value, a viewer desires the possibly of accepting the photo as it appears, believing this image captures an accurate and true portrayal of this event. As a result of inductive reasoning, an observational examination used to draw a conclusion, little can be deduced from this photo, supporting the opinion that attempting to analyze the situation in more depth would only lead to further speculation, contingent upon information presented to the viewer. Until then, without a proper backstory, this photo is continuously viewed out of context by many people. It depicts military personnel executing a bound prisoner, who is dressed in civilian clothes. Despite this photo illustrating the brutalities of war and injustice imposed on individuals who are not supportive of the war effort, it fails to accurately describe the dangers of the war, the misuse of propaganda, and the reason behind the execution.
This photo, often referred to as the Saigon Execution is one of the most iconic images to develop from the Vietnam War, emerging from a time when support for the war from the American public was quickly dissolving (source). The photo depicts South Vietnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a bound North Vietnamese General in the streets of Saigon, then the capital of South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese General Nguyen Van Lem was the leader of the Viet Cong “death squad” who had been targeting and killing South Vietnamese National Police officers and their families, these attacks were affiliated with a series of complex and coordinated military strikes on South Vietnamese cities and outposts known as the Tet Offensive.
The Tet Offensive was a coordinated series of attacks on South Vietnamese cities and outposts carried out by the North Vietnamese. The Tet holiday is a celebration of the lunar new year, a very important holiday in Vietnam. Previously, the holiday also served as an informal truce between the North and South Vietnamese. Unfortunately, this truce was broken on January 31st, 1968. (History) The Tet Offensive proved to be a very successful blow, not only to South Vietnamese cities, but to American forces fighting throughout Vietnam, and most notably, the North Vietnamese takeover of the U.S. Embassy. These attacks were broadcasted across American television and other media outlets, brutally revealing the carnage of war and the rising death count of American forces. As an outcome of the Tet Offensive, it was clear to the American government that the struggle to achieve victory would be a long road ahead, further encouraging the anti-war movement (source). The Saigon Execution photo is acknowledged as being one of the biggest contributors in shifting public view towards supporting anti-war the sentiments. Its success in capturing the brutalities of war, but without a proper backstory, failing to describe the dangers of the event.
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The dangers of the Vietnam War were not limited to meeting your enemy head on in battle as in previous wars the United States has been involved in. Previous engagements with the enemy exercised more traditional military fighting. During the Vietnam War guerilla warfare was exercised heavily and it proved to be a successful strategy in defeating the enemy. It became evident that not all the fighting takes place on traditional battlefields. Lem’s mission was essential to the success of the Tet Offensive objective to strike a rebellion within South Vietnamese soldiers by weakening their ranks. (Tet Offensive) Lem organized an attack to be carried out on South Vietnamese military officer personnel and their families. Eddie Adam’s photo captured the retaliation against these attacks. Misinterpretations of the photo further allowed this image to represent the antiwar cause.
Eddie Adam’s photo of the Saigon Execution was immediately publicized as a beneficial tool for propaganda, depicting the brutalities and consequences of war, further fueling the anti-war movements. The biggest misrepresentation of this photo is that there is not enough information given from the image itself for viewers to know what transpired between these two men. “The image is not as black and white as rendered.” (Adams) It is what is not revealed that is so argumentative about this photo. If the proper story was given, the image may not of had the strong impact it did when applied to argumentative tools such as propaganda. What the image does not tell is how General Lem and his Vietcong “death squad” were caught red handed by General Loan, on top of a pile of 34 bodies consisting of seven South Vietnamese police officers and their families. (encyclopedia page 830) Ironically, statements say they may have plotting to kill General Loan. After shooting the North Vietnamese General, Loan approached Adams and said, “They killed many of our people, and yours too.” (npr quote) As soon as the photo was developed, controversial questions about human rights and politics quickly emerged. Only after hearing what transpired prior to this execution, does the viewer understands the contentious relationship between these two individuals. The viewer is still left in the dark contemplating if this execution was a just act or not.
Due to the ambiguity of this photo, strong arguments rise when this photo is initially viewed. This image successfully argued for a response to morals, and ethics as it displays injustice inflicted on a civilian. We assume this man has been wrongfully executed, as he appears standing with his hands bound behind his back, and the person wielding the .38 revolver, has just committed a heinous war crime. In actuality, the picture displays General Loan committing a summary execution, “which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without benefit of a full and fair trial” (definition). Essentially, General Loan acted as judge, jury, and executioner. General Lem, however, forfeited his rights of protection granted under Article 4 of the Third Geneva Convention of 1949 (Prisoners). These executions are frequently associated with guerrilla warfare, and other situations, which involve a breakdown of the established procedures for handling accused prisoners. General Lem arguably received a punishment that fits his crime, he committed a terrible act of murder hiding behind camouflaged civilian clothing and should be held accountable. Getting off on a technicality, Loan was later cleared of any allegations towards violating any treatment entitled to prisoners of war, Lem was considered an “unlawful combatant” (Defintion). ‘If you hesitate, if you didn’t do your duty, the men won’t follow you,’ the general said about the suddenness of his actions. (bbc.com). Unfortunately Loans quick decision to execute Lem would continue to torment him for the rest of his life.
Photographs are an instrument of change, they have the power to move us. Photos serve more roles than just documenting events. Photos can help shape minds and change people’s lives. “Still photographs are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths. (Adams). Peoples lives changed that day when Eddie Adam’s clicked the shutter on his camera, the photo will continue to haunt General Loan for the rest of his life. “Two people died in that photograph,” Adams wrote in Time magazine years later. “The recipient of the bullet and General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera (Washington Post). Months after the execution, Loan suffered a serious wound to the leg by enemy machine gun fire, requiring him to be evacuated to and seek medical attention. After being denied treatment in Australia he was again evacuated to the United States. When presence of Loan became known in the United States, attempts to deport Mr. Loan were made, Eddie Adams testified in his favor and Loan was given the right to remain in the United States. Mr. loan later opened a pizza parlor in Dale City, Virginia. He owned and operated until 1991, when it finally came time for Loan to close the business due to a decline in sales from being outed by the public for his past. (Encyclopedia) needs closing statement
Intro sentence needed. Despite winning the Pulitzer Prize for the photo, a prize which he felt his other photos were worthier of the award, the photo continued to be a nuisance towards Eddie Adams. ‘I was getting money for showing one man killing another,’ Adams said at a later awards ceremony. ‘Two lives were destroyed, and I was getting paid for it. I was a hero.'(bbc.com) He later expressed his guilt for “being rewarded for recording a man’s death, and ruining another’s man’s life.” (daily telegraph) Adams and Loan kept in touch after the war, even becoming friends. When Loan died of cancer Adams publicly pronounced him a hero. Closing sentence needed
“Context is the driving force of truth past the immediate surface of a photograph.” (fstoppers.com). The power of an image can shape minds, change lives and revise political agenda. The brutality and complexity of war is depicted regardless of any context provided. If the proper story was represented, the image may not have had the impact it did. According to Adams, photographs are half-truths. With only half of the story revealed, questionable arguments of moral ambiguity are presented when applied to propaganda. Media outlets continue to abuse imagery, only presenting half-truths and “fake news”, deliberating presenting misinformation help support a cause. An important lesson learned from this course was the necessary research needed to understand the whole story, developing skills to comprehend the information provided effectively, allowing us to form our opinion, in turn not allowing others to shape our minds and opinions of the situation.
