Iconic Vietnam War Pulitzer Photo now on Club’s wall

A signed copy of Associated Press photographer Nick Ut’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo of children fleeing a napalm attack in South Vietnam on June 8, 1972 is now posted on the National Press Club’s walls. Ut presented the photo at the Jan. 25 inauguration of Myron Belkind as NPC president. The photo is signed by Ut and Kim Phuc, the young girl in the center of the photo. The photo shows her running naked on a road in Trang Bang after being severely burned by a South Vietnamese Air Force attack. After taking the photo, Ut took time to ensure she would receive medical assistance before leaving the scene to bring his photos back to the AP bureau in Saigon.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning photo located next to Ut’s Vietnam photo displayed at the Club is another iconic war image taken by AP photographer Max Desfor on Dec. 4, 1950 during the Korean War. His previously donated Pulitzer shows the flight of refugees crossing a wrecked bridge while fleeing a Communist advance.

Also during Belkind’s inauguration, Desfor presented his photo of Indian independence leader Mohandas Gandhi speaking with future Indian Prime Minister Jawaharial Nehru in 1946. Gandhi, who was assassinated in 1948, led nonviolent protests to push for India’s independence from British rule. This image of Gandhi and Nehru was featured on an Indian postage stamp commemorating the two leaders. The photo now hangs in the NPC President’s office.