This Letter details the particular use of salicylaldehyde (2-hydroxybenzaldehyde) for the regiospecific protection of primary amines in a representative polyamine, norspermidine (N- (3-aminopropyl) propane-1, 3-diamine) under mild reaction conditions in high yield. The lack of intramolecular hexahydropyrimidine formation allowed for subsequent N2-acylation and N2-alkylation reactions, typical of polyamine synthetic strategies.