While researching the Tet Offensive, there is a lot of information about Non-Vietnamese communist and Americans perspectives, and how they were preparing for an attack. However, there are limited resources out there that talk about the Vietnamese communist and what led them to the Tet offensive. In the reading the reading "Decision-making Leading to the Tet Offensive (1968)—The Vietnamese Communist Perspective" Ang Cheng Guan gives readers more insight on the communist perspective and what their plans were for the Tet Offensive. Guan shares what General Nguyen Chi Thanh explains "General Nguyen Chi Thanh explained that the strategy involved amassing both military and political strength to carry out a series of surprise attacks in places where …show more content…
Two articles who describe General Westmoreland differently are "Ground Pounder: A Marine's Journey Through South Vietnam, 1968-1969" by Gregory V. Short and the "Tet The Surprise" by Jake Blood. Bloods article focuses more on the perspectives of what Americans thought of Westmoreland. Blood states "The American public accepted the optimistic view of General Westmoreland, a view based upon the intelligence coming out of the Military Assistance Command-Vietnam (MACV) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)" (4). Note that Blood used the words "accepted" and "intelligence" these words help to describe how the Americans viewed Westmoreland by accepting everything he told them because he was part of the MACV and CIA and they have great knowledge. It is important to have the Americans perspective because it allows readers to understand why the Americans thought he was a good general. Westmoreland was viewed completely different by a Marine. Short is a marine who talks about Westmoreland in a different perspective. In his reading, Short writes "General William Childs Westmoreland (Westy) had not been ill prepared for the job Commanding General" (65). By Short using the words "ill prepared" to describe Westmoreland as a Commanding General it helps the readers know exactly how Short, a Marine who was fighting in the Vietnam War felt …show more content…
How it leaves its mark is different with each war. With the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive is still being used as an example in wars after Vietnam and our current war. Two reads that describe how Tet affected the Americans afterward is "An Old, Old Story" by James S. Robbins and "Decision-making Leading to the Tet Offensive" by Ang Cheng Guan. Throughout Guans articles it talks about the Vietnamese Communists plans for the Tet Offensive, however towards the end, Guan states "The General Offensive—General uprising is a good example of how difficult and complex it was to carry out Mao's three-stage strategy of war" (353). Notice how Guan uses "good" and "example" he is letting the readers know that the Tet Offensives also known as General uprising is a good example of what not to do because it was so complex and difficult. It is important because it allows readers to know that Guan felt it was not a good strategy for the war. However, Robbins share in his writings that the Tet Offensive is still affecting us today and even though the Vietnamese communist lost the Tet Offensive it is still being used by our enemies. "The Tet story line is always lurking when U.S. forces are engaged against weak, unconventional enemies who lash out under limited and exceptional circumstances and briefly capture attention of the media" (Robbins50). By Robbins stating that "the story line is always lurking" Robbins is letting readers know that
The increasing number of troops and military efforts involved with Vietnam and the seemingly optimistic reports reported by the government were the primary factors that caused the Tet Offensive and Counteroffensive. The American government had become increasingly involved with the Vietnam war. From 1965 to 1967, over 400,000 soldiers were sent to help the South Vietnamese forces. This massive increase in the amount of soldiers was frustrating to the American people. Johnson’s approval rating fell to a mere 40%, half of what it had been in 1965. (“Vietnam War (1959-1975)” ; Axelrod 1). When the American soldiers returned home from Vietnam, it was often heard that they were spit on, and
The Tet offensive was when the Viet Kong decided to attack on the week of Tet. Tet was similar to our new years and in the previous years neither side of the war had ever fought on that day. Suddenly Tet came and we (the United States) was being attacked. This played a huge role in society. Eventually this lead to Cronkite announcing that this war was not winnable, it also lead to LBJ announcing that he would not run again for president. Both of these were a wake up call to the United States basically letting them know that we are way further in on the war then we had expected. This also stated that we could not win the war, making more and more riots happen at home. No one wanted the United States at war anymore for they thought that they were there for no reason and we weren't going to win so why not come home? Tet Offensive also impacts the following topics.
The Tet Offensive was a major conflict and opinion towards our American troops and people. The impact of the Tet Offensive on public opinion in the United States was significant. They were lied too and we're told U.S, troops might be able to withdraw. Dozens of camps, military bases, cities and towns were attacked.
After early 1968 it was evident that the United States would not soon or successfully conclude its involvement in Indochina. The size and breadth of the attack were stunning enough, but the images coming out of South Vietnam in the early days added to the shock and impact of the Tet Offensive. Television reports showed the fighting on the embassy grounds, chaos in the streets of Saigon, the assassination of an NLF prisoner by a South Vietnamese general on a Saigon street, and pitched battles in other cities such as Hue, while the Associated Press reported an American officer in the village of Ben Tre stating that, “we had to destroy it in order to save it.” As Kathleen Turner, author of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Dual War, writes, “With Tet…the fighting was suddenly, inescapably, terrifyingly close to the Saigon-based news teams. The proximity of the battle guaranteed extensive coverage by media institutions: it was easily accessible, and it was for many the first extended view of the enemy.” Walter Cronkite on the first reports of Tet asking, “What the hell is going? I thought we were winning the war!” Tet dominated the news coverage on television, newspapers, and magazines as people followed the fighting in Saigon, Hue, and Khe Sanh and saw the destruction and dislocation that was occurring throughout
On January 30, 1968, during Vietnam’s Tet celebration, VC and NVA units launched a immense attack in all of South Vietnam's provinces. They had struck 30 provincial capitals along with major cities Saigon and Hue. The Tet Offensive shocked Americans at home who thought the war near victory and the homefront support for war effort grew. CBS news reporter Walter Cronkite returned to Vietnam to see what was happening; He had been a war correspondent during World War II and reported from Vietnam when America was early involved. There was even a poll In 1972 that determined he was “the most trusted man in America.” On February 27, 1968 a broadcast summed up what he found during his return to the war zone. He closed by saying:“To say that we are closer to victory today is to believe, in the face of the evidence, the optimists who have been wrong in the past. To suggest we are on the edge of defeat is to yield to unreasonable pessimism. To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion. On the off chance that military and political analysts are right, in the next few months we must test the enemy’s intentions, in case this is indeed his last big gasp before negotiations. But it is increasingly clear to this
The Tet Offensive was the true turning point for US involvement in the Vietnam War, it was the catalyst for Nixon’s campaign to bring troops back home and pulling out of the war.
The Vietnam War was first derived from the gradual oppression of the communist party of the north over the region of South Vietnam. The North Communist party was supported mainly by China and the Soviet Union whiles the Anti-Communist party of South Vietnam was supported by United States and France. The communist party group, as known as the Viet Cong, was recognized for their guerilla war strategies within the region of South Vietnam, intended to fully expand and unify Vietnam under Communist rule. U.S. involvement with the Vietnam War starting in November 1, 1955, develops from the theory of the domino effect, stating that if one country falls into communism, a threat that can develop into the encouragement and spread of communism throughout the world in the future. It is basically viewed as a potential harm to the welfare of the United Sates. Therefore, due to the conflicting forces of the historical, political, economic and cultural nature of the war itself, it is known to be the longest enduring war in United States history that altered many lives of the Vietnamese and American community, leading to suffrage and acts of courage.
Preceding Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination was North Vietnam’s Tet Offensive against the United States which “signified the beginning of the end of U.S involvement in the Vietnam War” (CNN). Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, “was a holiday during which the North and South had previously observed an informal truce” (CNN). However, on January 31st, 1968, a “coordinated attack by Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese targeted 36 major cities and towns in South Vietnam” (CNN). Despite the heavy casualties, “North Vietnam achieved a strategic victory with the Tet Offensive, as the attacks marked a turning point in the Vietnam War and the beginning of the slow, painful American withdrawal from the region” (“Tet Offensive”). This attack was a crucial turning point in the war because the ambush resulted in Americans withdrawing their support of the war. Before the offensive, the U.S.
To succeed politically within South Vietnam itself the United States had to ‘win the hearts and minds of public’. However the atrocities which had struck Vietnam, caused disarray with the public of Vietnam, one case where this is true was the Massacre at My Lai in March 1968; this was the killing of 300 villagers mainly women and children who were raped, murdered, and mutilated; this was carried out by American soldiers who thought the villagers were supposedly harbouring Vietcong. Lieutenant William Calley was charged with the crime but only served
For years, Vietnam celebrated the holiday Tet where the North Vietnam and the south Vietnam truce with one another; however, early in 1968 on January 31, when they celebrated Tet, the north Vietnam decided to break the truce and provided surprise attacks breaking the stalemate between the two. Viet Cong decided that on early January 30, 1968, he and the PAVN would attack thirteen cities in Central South Vietnam; moreover, twenty-four hours later, he targeted more cities, military bases, towns, and even government buildings throughout all of South Vietnam. Viet Cong ended up attacking over 120 places. Though they surprised the U.S, Cong’s troops, spread too thin, received a counter attack form the U.S and ARVN which resulted in heavy loses
Such coverage, along with the vivid images that emerge on T.V. led to a serious rise in anti-war protest that was merely strengthened by the events of 1968. The Tet Offensive of 1968 marked the greatest conflict in beliefs of the United Stated government and the media. In January, North Vietnamese troops attacked the North cities of South Vietnam and the U.S. embassy in Saigon. The media and the television, however, portrayed the attack as a brutal defeat for the U.S, totally altering the outcome of the war at the very moment when government officials were publicly stating that victory in Vietnam was "just around the corner" (Wyatt 167)[8]. The media covered all the events that immediately followed the Tet Offensive and the American public began wondering whether this war could be won. Don Oberdorfer a Washington reporter said that “there’s no doubt Tet was one of the biggest events in contemporary American history, within two months the, American body politically turned around on the war. And they were significantly
The Tet Offensive was a series of North Vietnamese attacks on more than one hundred cities and outposts in South Vietnam. It was an attempt to provoke rebellion among the South Vietnamese population
As the Vietnam War progressed, People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) generals led by General Giap reassessed and adapted their strategy to fit the circumstances. This enabled the VC revolutionaries, supported by North Vietnamese regular forces, to achieve success without ever defeating US forces on the battlefield. For instance, the Tet Offensive in 1968 represented an operational failure in Stage Three of the Dau Tranh strategy but was considered a success for the North since it weakened American public support for the war. As a result the defeat on the battlefield, Giap adapted Dau Tranh to avoid concentration of forces and the effects of superior US firepower by transitioning back to Stage Two. The return to guerilla operations ensured sustained US casualties and the continued erosion of public support between 1968 and 1971. At the same time, main force units that were decimated during Tet could withdrawal and reconstitute. (Pike, 229)
Then, on January 31, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army, supported by the Vietcong, launched the Tet Offensive, a series of surprise attacks on cities and towns throughout South Vietnam. Militarily, American forces repelled the attacks and retook the cities initially occupied by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong. However, television portrayed the attack as an appalling defeat for the United States. In addition, the Tet Offensive made the brutality of the war very visible to Americans as the viewing public watched graphic footage of a prisoner being shot through the head by a South Vietnamese general.
Starting with Walter Cronkite one of the most likely and trusted reporter in America. He said that he didn't think we could win. The Tet Offensive was the point where Americans understood that we couldn't win in Vietnam. I don't know whether most-Americans knew then, however a good amount had heard. There was resistance to the war, yet it was for the most part in view of the war being improper and unlawful.