I shall not seek, and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president." These were the words spoken to the American public by President Lyndon.B.Johnson on the 31st of March 1968 at the end of the offensive. The reason for his departure from the Presidency is often said to be because of the impact that the Tet Offensive had on the US. The Tet Offensive was the turning point in the Vietnam War. It changed the perspective of the US public and opened their eyes into the brutality of the war. The Offensive was also significant to both the governments of Vietnam because it shed a light on both of their futures and also on the mistakes that they had both made.
The significance that the Tet Offensive had on the US government and public was enormous. During the offensive 19 Viet Cong blew a hole in the US embassy wall and took over the building. In the end the 19 Viet Cong were killed along with 7 marines. Televised images of what was happening at the embassy were being broadcasted around the world. For along time before the Offensive the US public were told that the American military status in Vietnam was impenetrable and that the Viet Cong were an easy target so these images came as a shock to the public. There was public outcry as to what was happening and consequently these images along with the image of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong suspect collapsed support for an expansion of the war and destroyed any credibility of the US army in claiming success and superiority in the south. General William Westmoreland claimed " The press turned a decisive communist defeat into a psychological victory for the North Vietnamese." The American public now despised the war more than ever and put pressure on President Johnson to evacuate the troops in Vietnam. President Johnson also felt the consequences of the massive effect that the Tet Offensive had on people.
The Tet Offensive proved to be a political and a psychological victory for the Vietnamese communists. ... Some smaller battles started to break out in Vietnam before the actual Tet-Offensive did. ... The first attack was not the Tet-Offensive. ... The Tet-Offensive broke out on the Tet's Eve- in the early morning of January 30, 1968. ... The Tet-Offensive finally came to an end. ...
The Tet offensive had dramatic effects within the USA. ... The Tet offensive also led to growing opposition to the war among the American public. ... Thus the Tet offensive led to a major change in US military policy in Vietnam. Finally, the Tet offensive had an effect on the President himself. ... Johnson's decision was perhaps the most important effect of the Tet offensive. ...
The Tet Offensive affected politics by influencing the presidential elections of 1968. ... (Dougan 130) Communist casualties during the Tet Offensive were as high as 40,000, mainly NVA. ... The impact of the war on the economy of the United States was extensive after the Tet offensive. 50 billion dollars a year was spent on the war in the years following the Tet Offensive. ... This number continued to increase up to the Tet Offensive. ... This demonstrates that the Tet Offensive had a major impact on United States history....
After the Tet Offensive, 70,000 North Vietnamese troops coordinated a series of attacks. ... The turning point of the war came in 1968 with the Tet Offensive. The Tet Offensive was the combined force of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese army launching an campaign against South Vietnam cities and high value targets. The offensive was crush but the support for the war at home was lost. ...
In 1968, from the Tet Offensive to the assassinations of John F. ... This offensive was carried out on the Vietnamese New Year's holiday called, "Tet." ... General William Westmoreland claimed that the Tet offensive was actually a victory for America and South Vietnam due to the casualties of the communists. ... When General Westmoreland called for 206,000 more troops and more fighter squadrons, it seemed that we lost the Tet offensive. ... Because losing the Vietnam War was inevitable and because of the Tet Offensive, along with the assassinations of John F. ...
The Tet offensive was arguably the most controversial incident that took place during the Vietnam War. ... The media's inaccurate portrayal of Tet terminated the public's trust in the US government. If the media had presented the facts of the Tet Offensive to the American people accurately and gained support for the war the United States may have been successful in Vietnam. The Tet Offensive caused a chain of events that led to the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam and ultimately led to a defeat for the United States armed forces. ...
In early 1968, the North Vietnamese launched the Tet Offensive, a major incursion into South Vietnam. ... Two well-known instances from the Tet Offensive that were shown in living rooms all across America had a devastating effect on America's feelings about the war in Vietnam. ... CBS anchor Walter Cronkite traveled to South Vietnam to personally report on the Tet Offensive. ... The Tet Offensive was seen as catalyst that deeply divided public opinion about the war. ... Coverage of the Tet Offensive coupled with Cronkite's prediction of a continued stalemate helped to influence Amer...
The war reached its peak in 1968 with the Tet Offensive. The U.S. took loses during the Tet Offensive and the U.S. embassy was over ran by the Viet Cong. ... After the Tet Offensive it is said that three out of every four Americans no longer approved in Johnson's conduct of war; the American people were looking for a new leader. ...
This was the year of the Tet Offensive, which had started in January of that year with the North Vietnamese launching major attacks on more than 30 major cities. ... Following the year's Tet Offensive both sides reassessed their positions. ... Although there was a lull in the intensity of the fighting, it did continue all throughout the spring of 1968, and into 1969, when another Tet Offensive was launched by the Communist regime. ... In both Laos and Cambodia, United States forces tried to blunt Communist offensives and to eliminate the Vietcong forces from their Cambodian sanctuaries. ....
