Tet 1968 - The Turning Point

1. Tet 1968 - The Turning Point

2. Lesson Objectives • Understand and summarize the military and domestic political situation on the Vietnam War in January 1968. • Describe and analyze the events of the Tet 1968 Offensive in Vietnam. • Describe and analyze the operational and strategic significance of the Tet Offensive.

3. Major Issues Tet 68: The Turning Point What was the Communist objective for the Tet 68 Offensive? • How did this fit into their Strategy of Revolutionary War? What was Tet (the holiday)? • Why did the Communist choose Tet to launch their attack? What happened during the Tet 68 attacks in Saigon? Hué? How was the Tet offensive portrayed in the U.S. news media? What were the results of the offensive: • Politically (strategically)? • Militarily (tactically)?

4. Review Strategy of Revolutionary War Generic: Used in Chinese Civil War, First & Second Indochina Wars Phase I: Targeted state stronger militarily • Revolutionaries avoid combat • Guerrilla war: raids, ambushes, sabotage, terrorism • Political conflict predominant Phase II: Rough military parity • Combined guerrilla and conventional war • Military and political conflict equally important Phase III: Revolution stronger than targeted state • Revolutionary forces go to totally conventional war • “General Offensive” linked to political “Great Uprising”

5. Review Strategy of Revolutionary War General Characteristics • It is a total war • It is wage with total unity of effort • It is, by necessity and choice, a protracted war • It stresses gaining and keeping the initiative • It is a changing war (shift between phases) • It is a mosaic war (different phases, different areas) Davidson

6. Strategy of Revolutionary War Timeline 1954-1965: Phase I(guerrilla warfare) • 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition 1965-1967: Phase II (guerrilla & conventional warfare) • Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh) 1968 (early): Phase III (conventional warfare) The Tet Offensive

7. Decision to Tet 1968 7 Jul 67 North Vietnam's Politburo makes the decision to launch a widespread offensive against South Vietnam Transition to Phase III of Revolutionary War Offensive planned with three components: Diversion: Attacks against remote border areas in an effort to lure American troops away from South Vietnam's cities. Main Attack (Tet Offensive): Attack against the cities themselves by Viet Cong forces aided by NVA troops in the hope of igniting a "general uprising" to overthrow the government of South Vietnam. Follow-on : Conventional invasion to capture all of South Vietnam

8. Timeline NVA troops begin moving into South Vietnam Early 1960’s Tonkin Gulf Resolution 7 Aug 64 Operation Rolling Thunder (bombing of North) begins 2 Mar 65 8 Mar 65 Marines land at Da Nang 1967 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) increases pressure on South Siege of Khe Sanh Begins Spring 67

9. Siege of Khe Sanh Spring 1967 - March 1968

10. Khe Sahn

11. Khe Sahn 1966 1968

12. Siege of Khe Sanh YouTube

13. Tet Offensive 1968 Began January 30, 1968 Country-wide combined VC & NVA offensive intended to inspire popular uprising Attack on Khe Sanh began earlier as a diversion

14. Tet Offensive 1968 Began January 30, 1968 Country-wide combined VC & NVA offensive intended to inspire popular uprising

15. Tet in Saigon

16. Tet in Saigon

17. Tet in Saigon Video Pt 1 - 9:48

18. Tet Offensive 1968 Battle of Hué Jan 30 - Mar 3 1968

19. Hué The Historic & Cultural Capital of Vietnam In February 1966, LBJ asked Gen. Westmoreland, the US commander in Vietnam, what he would do next if he were the enemy commander “Capture Hué,” Westmoreland immediately replied. Hué Citadel Almost two years to the day later, North Vietnam did just that

20. Hue Citadel Airfield

21. MACV Compound - Hue

22. Hue MACV Compound Officer Quarters

23. Tet in Hué Hué Citadel = Areas not captured

24. Tet Offensive 1968 Battle of Hué Jan 31- Mar 3 1968

25. Tet Offensive 1968 Battle of Hué Jan 31- Mar 3 1968 Video (8:08)

26. Battle of Hué Video Pt 2 - 9:09 Pt 3 - 8:48 Pt 4 - 9:10 Pt 5 - 7:02

27. Tet Offensive Military Results US and Vietnamese Dead: 6,000 PAVN and Viet Cong Dead: 40,000 (estimated) Viet Cong (NLF) essentially eliminated as a fighting force

28. Tet Offensive 1968 Turning point of the war … politically Saigon police chief executes Viet Cong Terrorist Photograph by Eddie Adams

29. Tet Offensive 1968 Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News anchor, visited Vietnam Feb1968

30. Post-Tet Walter Cronkite Upon his return to the US, Cronkite delivered an unprecedented editorial comment on this trip (February 27, 1968) “To say that we are mired in stalemate seems the only realistic, yet unsatisfactory, conclusion.” LBJ’s reply on hearing this: “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America.” On March 31, 1968, President Johnson announced he would not seek re-election. Source Video 5:04 - 5:41

31. Cronkite on Vietnam War

32. Strategy of Revolutionary War 1954-1965: Phase I(guerrilla warfare) • 1961-1965: Heated Politburo debate on transition 1965-1967: Phase II (guerrilla & conventional warfare) • Increased large unit actions (Ia Drang, Khe Sanh) 1968 (early): Phase III (Tet Offensive) (conventional warfare) • Military disaster (VC destroyed) • “General Uprising” did not occur • Strategic victory for the Communists none the less 1968 (mid): Phase II

33. US Strategy in Vietnam Clark Clifford, SecDef in 1968 • Interviewed senior officials, military and civilian: • none of them could tell him what constituted victory in Vietnam • found that US had no military plan to win war Summers

34. US Strategy in Vietnam US had no clear strategy in Vietnam • Never mobilized the American people • Never committed sufficient force to win • Never defined what “win” meant Tactical Victory, Strategic Defeat

35. Vietnam: The Home Front

36. End