War Photographer Philip Jones Griffiths Dies

LONDON - Philip Jones Griffiths, who was best known for his Vietnam War photographs, died in London at age 72.  Philip Jones Griffiths once wrote, "I'm a storyteller in the sense that I present the truth in an engaging way, rather like the way a lawyer would present evidence to a jury. There's a logic to it. I try to explain what's happening, using a narrative that leads to a convincing conclusion."

In his 1971 book titled Vietnam Inc, he portrayed the dehumanizing power of war. The book was later credited with helping to turn the public opinion tide against the U.S. engagement in Vietnam.

Philip Jones Griffiths was a member of Magnum Photos. Stuart Franklin, president of Magnum Photos, said, "Philip enriched all our lives with his courage, his empathy, his passion, his wit and his wisdom; and for many he gave to photojournalism its moral soul."

Griffiths was born in Wales and went on to study pharmacy in Liverpool while freelancing as a photographer. He began working full-time for the London's Observer newspaper in 1961 and covered the Algerian War the next year. He began his work on the Vietnam conflict in 1966, and would continue until 1973. Griffiths joined Magnum in 1966 as an associate member; he would become a full member in 1971 and served five years as Magnum president in the 1980s while living in New York.
 
His coverage of the major upheavals of the second half of the 20th century ultimately took him to more than 120 countries and led Henri Cartier-Bresson to write that "not since Goya has anyone portrayed war like Philip Jones Griffiths."