The Tet offensive
The Tet Offensive, started by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army on January 30, 1968, was among the largest military campaigns to occur during the Vietnam War. The campaign obtains its name via a violation of a festive “cease fire” by Communist forces in which both North and South Vietnam made arrangements to not fight for two days. In a deceptive move, the Communists began the attack very early in the morning in the I and II Corps Tactical Zones of South Vietnam; later, they led a full, coordinated onslaught of more than 80,000 soldiers to attack more than 100 towns, cities, and even the southern capital.[2] This element of surprise disoriented both the US and South Vietnamese military operations so much that they temporarily lost control of several cities, but they were able to reclaim most of them while
inflicting heavy damage and roughly 40,000 casualties to Communist troops. Other attempts at recapturing areas were less successful, however: the Battle of Hué was a month-long of intense land and aerial fighting that could not be won normally, so US forces ultimately decided to level the town completely; at the same time, Communists executed scores of civilians as many as 12,500 and forced many thousands more to evacuate their homes. While the Tet Offensive is considered a loss to the Communists, it depleted crucial US and South Vietnamese resources and garnered negative news media attention in the United States. The campaign furthered the debate if the United States should continue fighting or not, and even if the Vietnam War was remotely winnable. The most famous criticism of all comes from news anchorman Walter Cronkite, who stated that America was “mired in stalemate,” to which President Lyndon Johnson responded
with the following: “If we’ve lost Cronkite, we’ve lost the country.”[1]
inflicting heavy damage and roughly 40,000 casualties to Communist troops. Other attempts at recapturing areas were less successful, however: the Battle of Hué was a month-long of intense land and aerial fighting that could not be won normally, so US forces ultimately decided to level the town completely; at the same time, Communists executed scores of civilians as many as 12,500 and forced many thousands more to evacuate their homes. While the Tet Offensive is considered a loss to the Communists, it depleted crucial US and South Vietnamese resources and garnered negative news media attention in the United States. The campaign furthered the debate if the United States should continue fighting or not, and even if the Vietnam War was remotely winnable. The most famous criticism of all comes from news anchorman Walter Cronkite, who stated that America was “mired in stalemate,” to which President Lyndon Johnson responded
with the following: “If we’ve lost Cronkite, we’ve lost the country.”[1]
The Tet Offensive was one of the first battles to be aired on television. The Tet Offensive was a turning point in the war for the support of Americans. This political cartoon depicts the common public opinion that the Vietnam war is "dirty" and want the war to end. [3]
Reactions to the Tet Offensive
Soldier Disillusionment
The Tet Offensive was a surprise attack that nobody was expecting. Soldiers were greatly impacted by this event. Before the attack, many soldiers believed that the war was almost over and that they would finally have the chance to return home to their families. After Tet, soldiers began to realize that the war was far from over. Their realization was verified when more soldiers were brought in to fight. 200,000 new troops were requested in order to mount an effective counteroffensive.[4] Many soldiers had a hard time coping with the war and tried to escape their feelings by using drugs. In some combat units, up to 80 per cent of men were casual or regular drug users.[5] Soldiers also lost support for the war and didn’t understand the purpose of their fighting. Many soldiers also began to retaliate against the war. The period from 1968 to 1970 was a period of rapid disintegration of morale and widespread rebelliousness within the U.S. military.[6]
Reactions on the Home Front
On the home front most Americans were shocked when they learned the news about what had happened. Before the war had begun many people supported it and felt patriotic about going to war. After Tet, people began to realize that things weren’t as great as they had thought. Tet proved to many Americans, stunned by the scope and ferocity of the offensive, that their government had been misleading them about allied progress in the war.[7] People were being told one thing by the government but we’re seeing something entirely different on television every day. This is what began creating a credibility gap between the government and the media. This resulted in many people questioning why they had supported the war to begin with. A negotiated settlement seeking a political accommodation under international supervision remains the alternative to a prolonged war of attrition, a war that neither side can win.[8] People realized that it was better to end the war then to let it drag on and have more human casualties from both sides.
Anti-War Protests
Some people decided to take drastic measure in order to show their disapproval of the war. The support of protests against the war significantly increased after the Tet Offensive. Even men who were veterans and had served in the Vietnam War joined the protests. Veterans join the ranks of other Americans in a mass demonstration against the Nixon administration’s continued false promises and in support of the congressional bills to stop the bloodshed on both sides and end the war now.[9] Many people were shocked to see the war’s own veterans protesting against it. Joining the anti-war demonstrations by this time were members of the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. The sight of these men on television throwing away the medals they had won during the war did much to win people over to the anti-war cause.[10] People realized that if the war’s own soldiers were protesting against it then t3here must be an extremely good reason to stop the war. In 1971 the first Pentagon Papers were published people saw details about the Vietnam War. Needless to say, it is mainly the Vietnam War critics who see in the Pentagon Papers both proof of their own criticisms and a weapon to change policy.[11] Thanks to these Pentagon Papers, more and more people joined the anti-war movement and finally reached the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1973.
[1] Walton, Jennifer. "The Tet Offensive: The Turning Point of the Vietnam War." OAH Magazine
of History 18 (2004): 45. Print.
[2] "Tet Offensive." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/tet-offensive>.
[3] "Analyzing Attitudes on the Vietnam War through Political Cartoons." Analyzing Attitudes on the Vietnam War through Political Cartoons. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. <http://share.pdfonline.com/2bb09c3ec043
[4] “Tet Offensive,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/tet-offensive (accessed Dec 11, 2013).
[5] Jennifer Llewellyn, Jim Southey, Steve Thompson, “Vietnam War Soldiers,” Alpha History, Accessed December 11, 2013. http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/vietnam-war-soldiers/.
[6] “1961-1973: GI resistance in the Vietnam war,” Libcom, Sep 3, 2006, http://libcom.org/history/vietnam-gi-resistance.
[7] James H. Willbanks, “Tet Offensive : A Concise History,” New York, Columbia University Press, 2006. p 68. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/csulb/Doc?id=10183432&ppg=98
[8] “After the tet offensive.” New York Times (1923-Current File). February 8, 1968. http://search.proquest.com/docview/118315953?accountid=10351.
[9] “Why veterans march against the war.” New York Times (1923-Current File). April 23, 1971. http://search.proquest.com/docview/119242099?accountid=10351
[10] “Vietnam War Protests,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war-protests (accessed Dec 12, 2013).
[11] NONA B. "Pentagon Papers:" New York Times (1923-Current File), Jul 11, 1971. Pg 1. http://search.proquest.com/docview/119148211?accountid=10351.
Reactions on the Home Front
On the home front most Americans were shocked when they learned the news about what had happened. Before the war had begun many people supported it and felt patriotic about going to war. After Tet, people began to realize that things weren’t as great as they had thought. Tet proved to many Americans, stunned by the scope and ferocity of the offensive, that their government had been misleading them about allied progress in the war.[7] People were being told one thing by the government but we’re seeing something entirely different on television every day. This is what began creating a credibility gap between the government and the media. This resulted in many people questioning why they had supported the war to begin with. A negotiated settlement seeking a political accommodation under international supervision remains the alternative to a prolonged war of attrition, a war that neither side can win.[8] People realized that it was better to end the war then to let it drag on and have more human casualties from both sides.
Anti-War Protests
Some people decided to take drastic measure in order to show their disapproval of the war. The support of protests against the war significantly increased after the Tet Offensive. Even men who were veterans and had served in the Vietnam War joined the protests. Veterans join the ranks of other Americans in a mass demonstration against the Nixon administration’s continued false promises and in support of the congressional bills to stop the bloodshed on both sides and end the war now.[9] Many people were shocked to see the war’s own veterans protesting against it. Joining the anti-war demonstrations by this time were members of the organization Vietnam Veterans Against the War, many of whom were in wheelchairs and on crutches. The sight of these men on television throwing away the medals they had won during the war did much to win people over to the anti-war cause.[10] People realized that if the war’s own soldiers were protesting against it then t3here must be an extremely good reason to stop the war. In 1971 the first Pentagon Papers were published people saw details about the Vietnam War. Needless to say, it is mainly the Vietnam War critics who see in the Pentagon Papers both proof of their own criticisms and a weapon to change policy.[11] Thanks to these Pentagon Papers, more and more people joined the anti-war movement and finally reached the end of U.S. involvement in Vietnam in 1973.
[1] Walton, Jennifer. "The Tet Offensive: The Turning Point of the Vietnam War." OAH Magazine
of History 18 (2004): 45. Print.
[2] "Tet Offensive." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/tet-offensive>.
[3] "Analyzing Attitudes on the Vietnam War through Political Cartoons." Analyzing Attitudes on the Vietnam War through Political Cartoons. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013. <http://share.pdfonline.com/2bb09c3ec043
[4] “Tet Offensive,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/tet-offensive (accessed Dec 11, 2013).
[5] Jennifer Llewellyn, Jim Southey, Steve Thompson, “Vietnam War Soldiers,” Alpha History, Accessed December 11, 2013. http://alphahistory.com/vietnam/vietnam-war-soldiers/.
[6] “1961-1973: GI resistance in the Vietnam war,” Libcom, Sep 3, 2006, http://libcom.org/history/vietnam-gi-resistance.
[7] James H. Willbanks, “Tet Offensive : A Concise History,” New York, Columbia University Press, 2006. p 68. http://site.ebrary.com/lib/csulb/Doc?id=10183432&ppg=98
[8] “After the tet offensive.” New York Times (1923-Current File). February 8, 1968. http://search.proquest.com/docview/118315953?accountid=10351.
[9] “Why veterans march against the war.” New York Times (1923-Current File). April 23, 1971. http://search.proquest.com/docview/119242099?accountid=10351
[10] “Vietnam War Protests,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war-protests (accessed Dec 12, 2013).
[11] NONA B. "Pentagon Papers:" New York Times (1923-Current File), Jul 11, 1971. Pg 1. http://search.proquest.com/docview/119148211?accountid=10351.