An Unlikely Weapon

In 1968, in 1/500th of a second, Eddie Adams photographed a Saigon police chief, General Nygoc Loan, shooting a Vietcong guerilla point blank. Some say that photograph ended the Vietnam War. The photo brought Adams fame and a Pulitzer Prize, but Eddie was haunted by the man he had vilified. He would say, “Two lives were destroyed that day, the victim’s and the general’s.” Other’s would say three lives were destroyed. Adams tried to get away from it. He documented more wars, worked for magazines and shot photos of celebrities. Still the photo haunted him. Eddie felt he had vilified the general and it bothered him so much, he tracked the man down in Virginia. This is Adams’ story, one of the most talented and iconic photographers of our time.