Write an annotated bibliography. This will list and describe a minimum of 10 primary and secondary sources, with specific requirements detailed below, that you may use in your paper. The annotated b

The Impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive

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Thesis Statement on the Impact of the 1968 Tet Offensive

The TET offensive started on the 31st January 1968 as a way to drive the final wedge between the United States and South Vietnam. It was established to persuade the earlier to give up on defending the latter from the communists. It involved a series of attacks on the cities of Vietnam by the Vietcong, thus resulting in a great uprising and further eroding the support of the war efforts in America. According to Arnold (2012), the TAT offensive was the turning point of the Vietnam War. It played a critical role in the weakening of US public support for the war in Vietnam. It indicated a considerable extent of preparedness among the military, skills, and bravery on the part of Vietnam. As a result, it shocks the morale of the US army, who were forcibly made aware of their vulnerability. Among the effects of the TET offensive during the Vietnam War include worsening the American’s public opinion, weakening the morale of the Americans; arise of the My Lai Massacre, the disruption of the Phoenix program, and finally disrupting the US elections of 1968.

In February, the famous American journalist Walter Cronkite was heard confessing of the impossibility of the United States winning the war. This was disappointing to the public who had hoped in winning the battle due to the high number of the military that had been positioned in the Vietnam region (Previdi, 2011). It is for this widening gap of credibility that led Johnson to announce his unwillingness to run for reelection in the elections that were to take place in the same year. TET offensive also made a significant toll on the morale of the American troops. The military became furious after the win of the TET offensive because they lacked the moral support they needed from the public as well as lack of the necessary goals and ideas (Arnold, 2012). Due to desperation, incidences of drug abuse and fragging where the soldiers killed their leaders to avoid being sent on missions were rampant.

Another adverse effect of the period is the outbreak of the My Lai Massacre that was as a result of discontentment among the American soldiers after their struggle to find Viet Congo was in vain. They ended up killing innocent Vietnamese among them, women and children (Willbanks, 2008). After the TET Offensive, the government of America launched a Phoenix program that was meant to assassinate the entire Viet Congo leadership. However, with the project was significantly affected by corruption, faulty intelligence, and mismanagement that led to the killing of the non-Viet Congo. It was later considered to increase the cases of criminal activities rather than performing the original purpose of eliminating the Viet Congo thus the assassination of the innocent lives.

The withdrawal of Johnson from the presidential competition in the 1968 elections was a big deal in the country. It led to the stepping in of two Democrats antiwar candidates from the Senate together with Johnson’s Pro-war vice-president. Kennedy had all the chances of winning the election until he was assassinated in one of the hotels in Los Angeles (Previdi, 2011). Humphrey, the Democratic Nominee, was left with a chance to win. Nevertheless, it was not possible for the bad image that he had. He was linked to violence outside the Democratic National Convention in Chicago; thus ruining his chance to win. Nixon, who was nominated by the Republican Party on the pro-war platform was won the elections. Offensive interfered with the entire possibility of the Democrats taking over the office.

References

Arnold, J. (2012). Tet Offensive 1968: turning point in Vietnam. Bloomsbury Publishing.

Previdi, R. (2011). This Time We Win: Revisiting the Tet Offensive. Military Review, 91(3), 91.

Willbanks, J. H. (2008). The Tet Offensive: A Concise History. Columbia University Press.