1968
Ch. 22 Section 4
Tet Offensive
• Jan 30th = Vietnamese New Year– Known as “Tet”
• Week long truce proclaimed for Tet– Celebrated or funerals being held
• Some coffins full of weapons of Vietcong
• Vietcong launched an attack over 100 cities in S. Vietnam & 12 U.S. air bases
Tet Offensive• U.S. embassy in Saigon attacked
– 5 Americans were killed
• Tet Offense continued for a month before U.S. & S. Vietnamese forces gained control of the cities
• Gen. Westmoreland declared attacks overwhelming defeat of Vietcong– Purely from a military standpoint
• Vietcong lost 32,000• U.S. & ARVN lost little over 3,000
Tet Offensive
• Gen. Westmorland wrong from a psychological & political standpoint
• Shook American public – They had been told U.S. close to victory
• Johnson Administration credibility gap grew to a point it couldn’t recover
Tet Offense
• In a matter of weeks Tet Offensive changed minds of Americans
• Poll before T.O. only 28% Doves & 56% Hawks
• After T.O. both sides claimed 40%• Media now openly criticized war
– Walter Cronkite
Minds changing in White House
• Robert McNamara resigned as defense secretary
• LBJ choose Clark Clifford for vacant position
• Clifford = friend & supporter of LBJ Vietnam policy
• However, Clifford concluded war = unwinnable
February 1968
• Following T.O. LBJ’s popularity plummeted
– Nearly 60% of Americans disapproved of the handling of the war
– Nearly 50% of U.S. felt it was a mistake to send American troops to Vietnam
LBJ recognized change too…
• ‘If I’ve lost Walter [Cronkite], then it’s over. I’ve lost Mr. Average Citizen.’
-LBJ
Days of Loss & Rage
• Two assignations– Who?
• Series of urban riots – Where?
• Surge in college campus protests– Where?
• “That …war…killed the lady I loved-the Great Society.” - LBJ
• Turmoil in Chicago Pg. 752 What happened?
Election of 1968
• Who were the 3 candidates?
• What parties were they running for?
• Who won?
• Why did this candidate win?
The End of the War & Its Legacy
• Leaving Vietnam
• Henry Kissinger, German emigrant, expert in international relations– Creates Vietnamization
• Vietnamization--> gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops in order for S.Vietnamese to tale a more active role in the war.
• “Peace with honor”
The End of the War & Its Legacy
• U.S. bomb tonnage Pg. 755
• More bombs used in WWII & Korean War or just in Vietnam?
• What is the silent majority?
My Lai Massacre
• My Lai Massacre – Read Pg. 756
• Invasion of Cambodia – Nixon announced April 30, 1970
• Clear out N.Vietnam & Vietcong supply centers
• Sparked 1st general student strike in history – > 1.5 million students closed down some 1,200
campuses • Columbia & Kent State
The Pentagon Papers• Nixon bombed & invaded Cambodia without
notifying Congress– Angered American public
• Dec. 31, 1970 Congress repealed Tonkin Gulf Resolution – What does this mean?
• Daniel Ellsberg former Defense Secretary of McNamara leaked Pentagon Papers– June 1971 – Read Pg. 757
“Peace is at Hand”
• 1971 poll --> 60% of Americans believed ALL troops should be withdrawn from Vietnam by end of year
• When were troops all finally out?• Henry Kissinger served as Nixon’s top negotiator in Vietnam
– Met with N. Vietnam’s top negotiator secretly
• Gave up on U.S. demanding N. Vietnamese troops leave S. Vietnam
The Final Push
• Nixon won reelection by promising peace– Didn’t happen
• 2 days after peace talks broke off Nixon unleashed ferocious bombing campaign– Bombed Hanoi and Haiphong
• 2 largest cities in N. Vietnam
• Became known as “Christmas Bombings”– U.S. planes dropped 100,000 bombs in 11 days
– Pausing only on Christmas Day
March 29, 1973
• Last U.S. combat troops left for home
• For America, the Vietnam War had ended
• War raged on in Vietnam
• March 1975 N. Vietnam launched full on invasion of S. Vietnam
• April 30, 1975 N.V. tanks rolled into Saigon & captured the city --> soon after S.V. surrendered
War leaves Painful Legacy• Over 58,000 Americans killed
– 303,000 Americans wounded
• North & South Vietnamese deaths topped 2 million
• War left Southeast Asia unstable – Led to further war in Cambodia
• War left Americans with more cautious outlook on foreign affairs – More cynical view of their government
• WHAT CAUSED THIS?
War leaves Painful Legacy
• Many Vietnam veterans adjusted back to civilian life successfully
• However, 15% of 3.3 million soldiers who served developed post-traumatic stress disorder
• Other became apathetic or began using drugs or alcohol
• Several thousand committed suicide
War Powers Act
• Stipulated that the president must inform Congress within 48 hrs. of sending forces into a hostile area without a declaration of war
• Also, troops may only remain 90 days unless Congress approves the president’s actions or declares war
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