Art Greenspon/AP
As public opinion turned against the Vietnam War, photography, particularly graphic images, played an essential role in the changing cultural tide. The Associated Press was one of the major players in exposing the harsh reality of Vietnam to American citizens. On the heels of the anniversary, the prize-winning images are being put on display for the general public and reproduced in a book. The photographs cover a wide variety of subjects from that period, ranging from President Kennedy with troops fresh from the battlefield to tortured prisoners and casualties. At that time, journalists were free to document battle zones without censorship—a luxury some experts say is not available today. The exhibition goes on view at the Steven Kasher Gallery in Chelsea in New York on October 24. For the exhibit, veterans, journalists, and fellow artists gave their takes on the images. The accompanying book, Vietnam: The Real War, is due out October 1.