‘A gun to the head’ is a picture from Vietnam War (1955-1975) by Eddie Adams who won the Pulitzer Prize for this photograph. This is one of the most popular pictures of Vietnam War which shows a South Vietnamese general executing a Viet Cong in Saigon. The picture was shot on one of the streets of Cholon, the Chinese section of Saigon in South Vietnam. It was on the second day of Tet Offensive, an assault coordinated by North Vietnamese with Viet Cong to attack about a hundred South Vietnamese cities and towns. This assault changed the perception of public towards war and led to end the US involvement in war. The person with a gun in his hand is a South Vietnamese police General Nguyen Ngoc Loan with his soldier backed. He is not in a police uniform. The person being shot is one of the members of Viet Cong. He is in a plaid shirt and his arms are tied behind his back. The picture has captured an entire view of the street of Saigon along with some houses by the side of the road. The street seems empty due to the effect of the Tet Offensive. We cannot see two sided attack in the picture. The Viet Cong, with his hands being tied, is not able to do anything but get shot on his head. The picture is quiet different and intimidating because it has captured the moment of death, the moment of bullet entering the temple of the Viet cong. When we first see the picture we see undeniable brutality but the picture depicts half truth of the story. Even Eddie Adams later admitted that the picture didn’t tell the whole story and he stated that he wished he hadn’t taken it at all. He said that his picture ruined the life of General Loan. It raises various questions about the incident. Was it necessary for the general to shoot the prisoner right on the street? He could have arrested and punished him for his guilty.

There is a story behind the picture which isn’t expressed in it. The picture played some role to end the Vietnam War and changed the perception of war to the common people. The picture became a sensation during Vietnam War. The picture became an example of the kind of allies the U.S. had in Vietnam. The shot was seen round the world. But, the real story was not depicted by the picture. The prisoner who got shot was an assassin and the leader of the Viet Cong death squad who had been targeting and killing South Vietnamese national police officers and their families. According to Loan later, when they captured the prisoner, he was caught in the act, at the site of a mass grave which contained the bodies of seven South Vietnamese police officers, as well as their families. After being captured with the bodies the prisoner was taken to General Loan and was executed in a street in Saigon. The photo’s fame became an opportunity for Loan’s political enemies to go after him. There are different analyses of Saigon’s Execution from different perspective. Was the execution right thing to do? There is still no decision by Military Lawyers on this matter. From Loan’s side, the man before him was a cold blooded killer who killed his friends, colleagues, their families and other innocent people. Since nothing is unfair during war, it might seem the decision Loan took was right. If anyone was in place of Loan at that moment, he/she could have done the same thing Loan did. It was the heat of the war that made Loan shot the prisoner. The execution looks justifiable from this perspective. But was it completely right and a perfect decision? We can analyze the action from different angle. The picture shows the prisoner being captured with his hands tied behind his back. We can also find other pictures that show Loan with his troops and the Viet Cong being pushed and pulled through the street. This concludes that South Vietnamese Officers were not in any danger by the Viet Cong and it was not necessary to execute him on the street in front of NBC photographer. They could have arrested and gave him severe punishment to disclose the prisoner’s further plan and killed him later. This could make the war result different and help South Vietnam win the war because US backed up their support to South Vietnam after the pictured flourished in the US during Tet Offensive. This could be the different turning point of the war. While this may not only be the cause but shooting on the head in front of media became one of the huge issues which ultimately led South Vietnam loose war and ruined General’s life.

This pictured has remained the symbol of war and might have haunted General Loan throughout his life. Like Eddie Adams said, “Still photograph are the most powerful weapon in the world. People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths’, his picture really changed the public opinion against the war. Eddie Adams had captured hundreds of war pictures but the picture of ‘Saigon Execution’ is the one that has still remained iconic and is recognizable in the military history.

References

Maclear, Michael. Haul, Buell. “Vietnam: A Complete Photographic History". New York: Tess Press, 2003.

News, BBC. “ In pictures : The Vietnam War" n,p.n,d <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/05/in_pictures_the_vietnam_war_/html/6.stm>

Adams, Eddie. “ Dolph Briscoe Center For American History". n,p. n,d. < http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/gallery_lg.php?s=3&gallery=eddie_adams>

Adler, Margot. “The Vietnam War, Through Eddie Adams' Lens". n,p. 24 March 2009. < http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102112403 >

Adams, Eddie. “ Vietnam Execution: Learnhistory3" . 1 May 2011 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGrsw6m9UOY>

Maclear, Michael. “ Famous VC Execution’ n,d. 23 March 2008. < http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?131040-Famous-VC-Execution-(Warning-Graphic-Pic)>