Even in a pre-internet era, the impact was almost immediate.
Eddie Adams' Feb. 1, 1968 photograph of Lt. Col. Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a North Vietnamese prisoner hit the Associated Press wires, and would soon appear in newspapers in the United States and around the world. The graphic image stunned the public and politicians alike, quickly adding to the mounting opposition to the war in Vietnam. Some historians say it may have changed the course of the war itself.
Adams, who would win the Pulitzer Prize for the image, had mixed feelings about the work. For a seasoned AP war photographer, witnessing death and killing was part of daily life. You may be surprised to find out what he did right after photographing the execution. (Note: The audio featured below is from an interview before Adams' death, in 2004.)
In the 50 years since it was taken, the single frame has become an icon of photojournalism. And while it is readily recognizable, not only for photography buffs and for many who keep up with current events, we have found a way to retell its story. And see the image. Do you have 58 seconds?
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OneShot — Execution Of Viet Cong Prisoner, 1968 (©Eddie Adams/AP Photo)
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