The Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive

1. What was the ‘Tet’ Offensive?

   • Took place from the end of January 1968
   • Major attack by Viet Cong and NVA regular forces on 36 South Vietnamese provincial capitals and 5 major cities
   • US and South Vietnamese forces largely successful in repelling attacks
     • major shock after claims of progress
   • Turning point for the US Vietnam?

2. Background: US

   • US military and government arguing that it is going well
   • South Vietnam in no immediate danger of collapse
   • Vietnam War increasingly unpopular in US: Increasingly expensive and growing numbers of casualties
   • But deep domestic divisions about what to do: increase effort, maintain effort, or withdraw?

3. Background: North Vietnam

   • Was it because the Americans were doing so badly that this was intended to be a ‘knock-out’ blow
     • Or was it because Hanoi was concerned about American progress and thought they needed to change tactics
   • political jockeying in Hanoi for position, which those advocating an all-out attack won
   • believed that attacks would encourage uprisings in the South that would lead to the withdrawal of the US, allowing victory
   • Massive build up in South during late 1967

4. Tet begins

   • the lunar new year – traditionally a time of truce
   • Primarily Viet Cong (People’s Liberation Armed Forces or PLAF) rather than NVA regulars
   • Lack of co-ordination – attack was delayed by 24 hours but not all units got the message
     • Therefore initial impact is slightly diluted
   • The US Response
     • Americans knew something was up, but did not realise the scale
     • Westmoreland moved troops just before the attacks
     • Managed to rally and retaliate
     • Huge bravery and resilience of American and South Vietnamese forces
     • Massive losses for PLAF
     • Could not take on the might of the US military in open battle
       • Therefore military defeat for North Vietnam
         • US Military Victory?
           • US repels virtually all military attacks by late March
           • Westmoreland proclaims stunning US victory (In public, Johnson supports this view)
           • Thousands of Viet Cong dead (perhaps up to 40,000)
           • After Tet, Viet Cong no-longer a major in the war
           • About 1000 Americans killed
           • North Vietnam had not taken any town and had failed in overall objectives of fomenting revolution
           • BUT!
             • Demonstrated extreme measure that North Vietnam was willing to go to
             • Viet Cong suicide squad enters US embassy compound
             • Long, brutal battle over Hue
             • Took war out into the open, especially Saigon
             • Question of whether US was, in fact, winning (Westmoreland requests 200,000 more troops!)
             • Continued decline in US public support for war

5. US Political Response and Fallout

   • Economic strain of the war: inflation and taxes
   • Johnson’s handling of the war under severe pressure
   • Johnson a broken man
   • Nation divided
   • 31 March 1968: Johnson announces bombing halt to bring Vietnamese to negotiating table