According to the historian, Marilyn Young, Americans were involved in the fighting in Vietnam from 1945 to 1990. The Vietnam War became a very contentious issue in the United States (U.S.) and many mark the serious decline in American citizen’s support for the war. The purpose of the war was stated to be – to save South Vietnam from becoming communist. The 1968 Tet Offensive was a surprise attack launched by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong at the end of January during the Vietnam War. A truce had been called between the north and south warring parties because Tet is an important annual Vietnamese celebration of the lunar New Year. The North never had an intention to honor the truce though; they had been planning to launch the surprise attack. The attack involved about 70,000 communist fighters who were grouped into teams. The teams attacked particular targets in Saigon including the American embassy. About one hundred other cities were attacked in South Vietnam. The proposed research explores two serious (and ongoing) arguments about the Vietnam War.
- The U.S. and South Vietnam may in fact have won the Tet Offensive so was it still possible to lose the support at home for other reasons?
- If so what reasons could be powerful enough to cause a shift in American opinion?
America became involved in Vietnam because the French requested help in order to colonize Vietnam when it was still part of China. The involvement started in October 1945. In the 1960s President Kennedy’s policy papers showed that the situation was not good in Vietnam. In fact historical papers show that Pres. Kennedy was considering pulling American troops out of Vietnam and end the Vietnam War. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson was blamed by many for the loss of Vietnam. Pearlman wrote that Pres. Johnson “was committed to the war because he feared displaying weakness to an aggressor would encourage future aggression” that might even lead to World War III.”
On the other hand the Tet Offensive shocked everyone especially the people in the U.S. who thought that the war was going well. The news of the surprise attack was covered in the U.S. by the newspapers and for the first time, the television evening news which was in every home. The targets were cities which made the reporting of the war much easier for journalists. It also meant that Americans were seeing the consequences of war. People even saw Colonel Jacobson, a senior official at the embassy when he “shot the last of the enemy commandos as he crept up the stairs” . . . inside the embassy. Although the embassy was back under American control after only six hours, people were shocked that the American embassy had been entered by the enemy. A professor of history and literature, Andrew J. Huebner, at Harvard University said that the careful research shows that the media was giving a balanced account. People still argue that it was the media’s fault that the Vietnam War was lost. The media was blamed at the time because militarily the Tet offensive had been determined to be a “tactical success.”
The research will use both primary and secondary sources to find answers to the research questions. There is no doubt that American troops were pulled out of Vietnam but the reasons why are puzzling. The research will try to answer some of the questions that remain.
Bibliography
Primary sources
Clips from audio taped conversations between Lyndon Johnson and Ambassador Adlai Stevenson, McGeorge Bundy, Senator Richard Russell, and Press Secretary George Reedy
John F. Kennedy’s Vietnam Policy Papers
Johnson, Lyndon B. Lyndon B. Johnson’s Vietnam Papers: A Documentary Collection. David M. Barrett (Ed.), College Station, Texas: Texas A& M University Press, 1997
L.T. “My War” Unpublished. 25 March 2005. Retrieved from http://www.vietquoc.com/tet68rev.htm
Van Mai Elliot, Duong. The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Secondary Sources
Anderson, Chris. "Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Viet Nam's Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap." Air & Space Power Journal 12(3): 1998, 116+. Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-39099470.
Carafano, James J. "Vietnam: The Soldier's Story” Volume 2, Episode 1, Review of "Tet: The Battle for Hearts and Minds"" Military Review 78(6): 1998, 79, Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-41614903.
Clifford, James H. "The Tet Offensive: A Concise History." Air & Space Power Journal 21(4): 2007, 125, Retrieved from
Correl, John T. “The Vietnam War Almanac.” Air Force Magazine, 42: September 2004, Retrieved from www.questia.com
Curry, Cecil B. Victory at Any Cost: The Genius of Viet Nam’s Gen. Vo Nguyen Giap as reviewed by Anderson, Chris in Air & Space Power Journal 12(3):1998, 116
Doyle, Edward and Samuel Lipsman. Setting the Stage (the Vietnam Experience). Boston: Boston Publishing Company, 1981.
Gilbert, Marc Jason and William Head (Eds.) The Tet Offensive Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996. http://www.questia.com/read/10049201.
Herrington, Stuart A. "The Tet Offensive: A Concise History." Parameters 38(4): 2008, 131+ Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-197490233
Huebner, Andrew J. "Rethinking American Press Coverage of the Vietnam War, 1965-68." Journalism History 31(3): 2005, 150+ Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-924408901.
Jamieson, Patrick E. "Seeing the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidency through the March 31, 1968, Withdrawal Speech." Presidential Studies Quarterly 29(1): 1999, 134 Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-54099175.
Joes, Anthony James. The War for South Viet Nam, 1954-1975. Revised edition, Westport, CT: Praeger, 2001. Retrieved from .
Karnow, Stanley. Vietnam: The First Complete Account of Vietnam at War. New York: Viking Press. 1983.
Lacey, James. “Who’s Responsible for Losing the Media War in Iraq?” Commentary, U.S. Navy Proceedings, October 2004, 2 pages. Retrieved from
Nolan, Keith William. Battle for Hue: Tet, 1968. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 1983. http://www.questia.com/read/97578185
Pearlman, Michael. "Shadows of Vietnam: Lyndon Johnson's Wars." Military Review, 78(3): 1998, 96 Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-37788708
Previdi, Robert. "THIS TIME WE WIN: Revisiting the Tet Offensive." Military Review 91, no. 3 (2011): 91+. http://www.questia.com/read/1P3-2361267751
Spector, Ronald H. After Tet: The bloodiest year in Vietnam. New York: Vintage Books, 1993.
Young, Marilyn B. The Vietnam Wars 1945-1990. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
