2. Khe Sanh
• Khe Sanh
– Late 1967, the US military noticed increasing
traffic along the Ho Chi Minh Trail
– Jan. 1968, the NVA & VC struck Khe Sanh
– After the 77-day siege, the US held Khe Sanh
– *The real purpose was to distract the US from
the urban areas where major strikes were
planned
3. Tet Offensive
• Tet Offensive was…
– A Vietcong (VC) attack on several cities & the
U.S. Embassy in South Vietnam
– It was a series of massive, coordinated
attacks through South Vietnam
– It occurred during the New Year which in the
past had been celebrated with a cease-fire
• The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) & VC took
advantage of the surprise
– *It became a critical point in the Vietnam War
4. Main Attacks
• Tet Offensive
– 84,000 Communists attacked 12 U.S. military
bases & 100 South Vietnamese cities
– The goal was to inspire the South Vietnamese
to rise up against the government but it failed
– In fact, because the VC killed US supporters,
civilians turned against the VC
– After 1 month of fighting, the areas were
retaken by the US forces
5. Effects of the Tet Offensive
• Effects
– US military realized that no part of South Vietnam
was safe from attack
– General belief that the US would achieve a quick
victory was shattered
– Walter Cronkite (CBS Anchor) expressed his
frustration & doubt causing LBJ to say “If I’ve lost
Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America”
– Americans became critical of the government &
McNamara who had shaped US policy
• McNamara saw the lack of success & started leaning toward
a peace negotiation
6. Democratic Challengers
• As LBJ considered re-election in 1968,
several events happened…
– ¾ Americans opposed LBJ’s policies in
Vietnam
– Eugene McCarthy finished 2nd
in the
Democratic primaries (behind LBJ)
– Robert Kennedy (RFK) entered the race for
president
– Because of the division within the party, LBJ
announced that he would not run again
7. Johnson Seeks a Solution
• Escalation
– Increasing troops to Vietnam
– LBJ considers peace negotiations
• Peace Talks Stall because:
– US wanted all NVA out of South Vietnam but
they refused
– North Vietnamese would not accept a
temporary South Vietnamese government
with a US-backed President (Nguyen Van
Thieu)
8. Election of 1968
• Candidates
– LBJ’s Vice President Hubert Humphrey
entered the race
• Vietnam is a hot issue
– RFK gained ground & won the crucial CA
primary
• However he is assassinated in CA
9. Democratic Convention
• Humphrey & McCarthy
debate inside convention
at Chicago
– Outside, chaos erupts as
10,000 protestors gathered
to demand an immediate
end to the war & “Peace
Now!”
– Violence continues as
police club demonstrators
with rifle butts & clubs …
some bystanders are
injured
• TV captured the violence
– Viewers were shocked
– Humphrey wins the
nomination
– *Chaos = symptom of
growing ‘generation gap’
over the government,
politics, & Vietnam
• Teens & young adults
were at odds with their
parents
10. Richard Nixon
• Republicans had the advantage due to the
division of the Democratic Party
– Former Vice President Nixon easily won the
Republican nomination
• Choose Spiro Agnew as VP
– He appealed to patriotism
– He wanted to “End the war honorably”
11. Election of 1968
• Candidates
– Hubert Humphrey
(Democratic)
– Richard Nixon
(Republican)
– George Wallace
(Independent)
• Former Alabama
governor
• Gained national
attention for staunch
opposition to civil rights
movement
• Election was close
– Nixon got 43.4% of
popular vote vs.
Humphrey’s 42.7%
– Electoral vote was
closer Nixon 301 vs.
Humphrey 191
– Nixon emerged a
confident leader
