Content note: Photographs of a child with an unrepaired cleft lip, shown beside the post-operation account, as issued. This object is shown as it was published. Why
Nụ cười đầu tiên của em Lê Thị Cam (Little Le Thi Cam's First Smile)
A photo-story poster (code SP-1314) tells of Le Thi Cam, born 1958 in Quang Nam, whose cleft lip was repaired by a visiting American surgical team at Da Nang in March 1966. Photographs show her before and after the operation, a doctor examining her, and her father taking her to the hospital. The poster ties one child's named case to the American medical mission, with the doctors described as kindly men who have helped many children like her.
Propaganda techniques used in this poster
- Date
- 1966
- Period
- Cold War
- Made by
- Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO), for the South Vietnamese government
- Region
- North America
- Country
- United States
- Medium
- Poster
- Issuer type
- State
- Regime
- Johnson Administration
- Leader
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Audience
- Domestic public
- Purpose
- Persuade or win support
- Theme
- Health
- Event
- Vietnam War
- Source
- Identified Openly sourced: the speaker is who they say they are
- Source
- U.S. National Archives (NARA), RG 306, Psychological Warfare Posters, Vietnam War (NAID 561393), retrieved October 3, 2026
- Rights
- NARA Unrestricted; hosted by owner decision
Joint U.S. Public Affairs Office (JUSPAO), for the South Vietnamese government. National Archives and Records Administration, 306-VP-7-1314.
Text on the object
NỤ CƯỜI ĐẦU TIÊN của em LÊ THỊ CAM Đây em Lê Thị Cam sinh năm 1958 tại Quảng-Nam, đã cảm thấy tủi thân vì không may mắn với tật sứt môi. Nhờ đoàn giải-phẩu Hoa-Kỳ nay tật đã lành và lần đầu tiên em đã có thể mỉm cười sung sướng. Em Cam, trước khi chiếc môi được giải phẩu. Em đã phải buồn tủi mỗi khi bị chúng bạn chế nhạo môi "Không đẹp". Tháng Ba 1966, Ông Duy, ba em Cam nghe có đoàn Y-Tế Hoa-Kỳ chuyên giải-phẩu đến Đà-Nẵng để chữa trị giúp đồng-bào tật nguyền, liền liên-lạc với nhân viên hữu trách và đem em Cam đến bệnh viện. Một trong những bác-sĩ đang xem xét trước khi giải-phẩu. Những vị bác-sĩ hiền lành này đã cứu giúp nhiều trẻ như bé Cam đây. SP-1314
THE FIRST SMILE OF LITTLE LE THI CAM This is Le Thi Cam, born in 1958 in Quang Nam, who felt wretched because of her misfortune of a cleft lip. Thanks to the American surgical team the defect has now healed and for the first time she can smile happily. Cam, before her lip was operated on. She was sad and ashamed whenever her playmates mocked her lip as "not pretty". In March 1966, Mr. Duy, Cam's father, heard that an American medical team specialising in surgery was coming to Da Nang to treat disabled compatriots, and at once contacted the officials in charge and took Cam to the hospital. One of the doctors examining her before the operation. These kindly doctors have saved and helped many children like little Cam. SP-1314
