1968
A Turning Point
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
Do you think this would be an effective strategy?
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 http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-
history/videos/tet-offensive-surprises-americans
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
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 Review: What was the Tet Offensive?
Review
In 1964, LBJ won with commercials like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbIfVEboAzg However by 1968 LBJ wasn’t willing to continue
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 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOs7BjZrgqY
Johnson Seeks a Solution
Escalation LBJ’s policy of increasing troops & supplies 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)
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 http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmc2EzkRDkI
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
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_9OJnRnZjU
Convention continued
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
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”
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 not as close: Nixon 301 vs. Humphrey 191
Nixon emerged a confident leader