The Tet Offensive of 1968 involved coordinated attacks by the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong on South Vietnamese cities during a traditional ceasefire period. Though the attacks were ultimately repelled, they shattered the belief that the US was making progress in the war and turned American public opinion against the war. This political fallout, along with ongoing peace talks stalled by North Vietnamese intransigence, led to massive protests and divisions within the Democratic Party that allowed Republican Richard Nixon to win the 1968 presidential election on a promise to end the war honorably.
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