On April 30, 1975, the Vietnam War ended. A conflict that had lasted for more than twenty years, the fighting came to an end when North Vietnamese troops captured Saigon. The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum has recently opened parallel exhibits to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon – both titled “Casting Light: Photographs of the Vietnam War.”
January 8, 1967
Courtesy of U.S. Army
The exhibits feature a variety of photographs taken throughout the War. Photographs offer a moving, intimate, and powerful look at the War, capturing how Presidents grappled with the reality of War and the American public’s changing responses to the conflict.
Courtesy of Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum
Courtesy of Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
President Ford’s official White House photographer, David Hume Kennerly, was one of many American photojournalists who documented the conflict, winning a Pulitzer Prize for his efforts in 1972. Decades later, he reflected on his experiences and the importance of photo documentation:
It’s essential that real photographers roam the world casting light into corners where others fear to go. Their images carry emotion and insight directly to your heart and soul. A keen eye and the ability to condense a story into one searing image is irreplaceable. We will always need that cadre of professionals who hang it out there to show the truth.
Lance Corporal Finnell, Photographer, July 1966
Courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps
Courtesy of Department of Defense
The exhibited photographs highlight the work of photojournalists like Kennerly, and continue to cast light on the conflict, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and its lingering impacts.