Conflict

Vietnam Inc.

Philip Jones-Griffiths' brutal and shocking documentation of the horrors of the Vietnam War that was crucial in changing public perceptions of the conflict

Philip Jones Griffiths

Philip Jones Griffiths Saigon, South Vietnam. 1967. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths Prisoners of war were afforded very different treatment by each side. Americans were treated reasonably (the ranting of the MIA movement in America aside), whereas captured Vietcong were tortured, (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths The battle for Saigon. U.S. policy in Vietnam was based on the premise that peasants driven into the towns and cities by the carpet-bombing of the countryside would be safe. Furthermore, removed f (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths The battle for Saigon. Refugees under fire. Confused urban warfare was such that Americans were shooting their staunchest supporters. Vietnam. 1968. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths This boy was killed by U.S. helicopter gunfire while on his way to church - a Catholic church - whose members were avid supporters of the government, who were in turn pro-American. The result was (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths This was a village a few miles from My Lai. It was a routine operation - troops were on a typical " search and destroy" mission. After finding and killing men in hiding, the women and children wer (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths The Saigon fire department had the job of collecting the dead from the streets during the Tet offensive. They had just placed this young girl, killed by U.S. helicopter fire, in the back of their (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths Called a "little tiger" for killing two "Vietcong women cadre" - his mother and teacher, it was rumored. Vietnam. 1968. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths This amphibious assault was to establish a beachhead for a barbecue. Vast quantities of meat and beer were consumed while local Vietnamese looked on. Such activities were prompted to engender moral (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths Quang Ngai, Vietnam. 1967 © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths Human skulls were a favorite souvenir among the soldiers and their officers. The commander of this unit, Colonel (now Brigadier General) George S. Patton III, carried around a skull at his farewell (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths Mother with wounded child, Vietnam. The american policy of annihilating as many Vietnamese as possible while claiming to be saving them from the 'horrors' of Communism could be confirmed by visitin (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths This woman was tagged, probably by a sympathetic corpsman, with the designation VNC (Vietnamese civilian). This was unusual. Wounded civilians were normally tagged VCS (Vietcong suspect) and all (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths The battle for Saigon. American G.I's often showed compassion toward the Vietcong. This sprang from a soldierly admiration for their dedication and bravery; qualities difficult to discern in the av (...)
Philip Jones Griffiths Vietnamese youth being arrested by soldier of the US 9th. Vietnam. 1968. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths South Vietnam. Quin Hon. U.S. Soldiers with a group of captured Vietcong suspects. Vietnam. 1967. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos
Philip Jones Griffiths The battle for Saigon. Vietnam. 1968. © Philip Jones Griffiths | Magnum Photos

First published in 1971, Vietnam Inc. was crucial in changing public attitudes in the United States, turning the tide of opinion and ultimately helping to put an end to the Vietnam War.

Philip Jones Griffiths’ classic account of the war was the outcome of three years reporting and is one of the most detailed surveys of any conflict. Showing us the real horrors of the war as well as a study of Vietnamese rural life, Griffiths created a compelling argument against the dehumanizing power of the modern war machine and American imperialism.

Rare and highly sought-after, the book has become one of the enduring classics of photojournalism and is now available in this new edition – a careful recreation of the original with Philip Jones Griffiths’ personal layouts and commentaries. The reissue also includes an introduction by the American linguist and political critic Noam Chomsky.

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