Story Behind LIFE mag cover

[36-tex]

I heard the story about this LIFE mag cover and was wondering if anyone can confirm. The photo of the POW was taken by the North Vietnamese and sent to the editors at LIFE. The POW was originally "flipping off the NVA", but the LIFE editors knew they could not publish that type of photo. SOOO, the editors of LIFE blacked out his fingers giving the bird before making it the cover of the mag. It sure looks possible if you look at the photo.

[Bob Hudson]

Yes he did flip what they then called the "inverted Hawaiian peace symbol."

 

That was Navy pilot Lt Paul Galanti, a POW for nearly seven years at the Hanoi Hilton complex.