Neil Davis (cameraman) - War Correspondent

War Correspondent

In early 1964 Davis went to Borneo to cover the confrontation between Indonesia and Malaysia. Shortly afterwards Davis made his first visits to Vietnam and Laos. Although he reported from across Asia, he is best remembered for his long association with, and reporting on, the war in Indo-China.

Unusual among foreign correspondents, Davis chose to film the war from the South Vietnamese perspective, shooting acclaimed combat footage on many occasions and acquiring a reputation for skill and luck. He was driven by the desire to obtain the best film he could and was well known for his neutrality, crossing, on one occasion, to film from the Viet Cong side. Davis' main preoccupation was with filming the effects of war and combat on individuals. His neutrality not with-standing, Davis earned the ire of United States military authorities, but this did not stop American news networks seeking out his film.

During the Tet Offensive in early 1968, Davis covered action in Saigon and Huế. It was during his period in Huế that Davis crossed path with Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. Davis recalls that on meeting Nguyen Ngoc Loan he "lifted his arm to which he had strapped a machine pistol, pointed it at me and said 'Some day I kill you'". While apparently shocking, Davis knew this was not true and really a reference to events that had occurred earlier during the offensive.

Between 1970 and 1975 Davis spent increasing amounts of time in Cambodia and he moved to Phnom Penh in 1971. He was severely wounded on several occasions, once almost losing a leg, but was fit and determined enough to recover and continue his work. In June 1973 Davis left Visnews and became a freelancer. In April 1975, Davis chose to leave Phnom Penh with the American helicopter evacuation. Joined by NBC News Correspondent Jim Laurie, he flew to Vietnam to cover the final stage of the war. On 30 April, Davis filmed as North Vietnamese troops and T-54 tank number 834 famously broke through the gates to the Presidential Palace in Saigon. This image which has long remained a symbol of the American failure to stop Communism in Vietnam, was first broadcast on an NBC News Special Report: Communist Saigon narrated by Laurie on 26 May 1975.

After Vietnam, Davis based himself in Bangkok, Thailand but travelled to cover stories in Angola, Sudan, Uganda and Lebanon. In 1978 he was briefly imprisoned in Syria, accused of spying for Israel.