The Tet Offensive and the Viet Cong

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The Tet Offensive and the Viet Cong

• Learning Intentions
• Demonstrate an understanding of basic facts about
  Tet.
• Analyse TET as an indicator of Viet Cong
  strengths.
• Evaluate Tet American or Communist Victory?

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Answer these questions in the back of your book.

1. What was the significance of Tet in the
   Vietnamese calendar?
2. Which year did the Tet offensive occur?
3. Which MAJOR Vietnamese city was targeted?
4. Which significant building was occupied by
   Vietnamese nationalists?
5. Name the Vietnamese group that carried out the
   attacks.
6. Name the military leader of this group.
7. Name the American General who reassured the
   public that the US was in control.

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The answers

1. It was the Vietnamese New Year and a public
   holiday (January 31)
2. 1968
3. Saigon (and over 100 other cities and towns)
4. The United States Embassy
5. Viet Cong (also known as the National Liberation
   Front)
6. General Vo Nguyen Giap (Giap will do)
7. Westmoreland,

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Match these numbers
1) Number of communist soldiers involved in Tet A) 2000
2) Number of communist casualties. B) 11,000
3) Number of American casualties C) 50,000
4) Number of Viet Cong who attacked Saigon D) 4000
5) Number of South Vietnamese Army casualties. E) 70,000
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Match these numbers
1) Number of communist soldiers involved in Tet E) 70,000
2) Number of communist casualties. C) 50,000
3) Number of American casualties 2000
4) Number of Viet Cong who attacked Saigon D) 4000
5) Number of South Vietnamese Army casualties. B) 11,000
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Back of your books

• What was the proper name for the Viet Cong?
• How did the first 10,000 VC get to South Vietnam?
• Ultimate Viet Cong goal?

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Answers

• National Liberation Front
• Viet Minh soldiers who remained in the south
  after the division of Vietnam in 1954.
• Reunification of Vietnam (Unite Vietnam is
  okay.). Expel foreigners is not enough they
  wanted ONE Vietnam.

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The Viet Cong were a significant nationalist
group - how does the Tet Offensive demonstrate
this?. Do this in groups of 5!
Use evidence from the text (brief quotes,
statistics)
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Effective methods of warfare

• Took guerrilla warfare methods to the streets of
  Saigon (the 4000 fighters operated in small teams
  and emphasised mobility and surprise).
• Used civilian cars and clothes to disguise their
  appearance made conventional (soldier on
  soldier) warfare difficult.
• Used manholes in Saigon (like jungle tunnels!)

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Popular support

• Scale of attack demonstrates popularity (70,000
  soldiers attacking more than 100 cities and
  towns)
• Saigon residents had stockpiled weapons for the
  Viet Cong (similar to the role played by
  villagers in rural areas)

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Planning and organisation

• The Tet Offensive attacks were launched in a 24
  hour period and simultaneously targeted over 100
  locations throughout South Vietnam.
• Weapons had been stockpiled in Saigon for years.

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Giaps leadership and attitude

• Giap believed in the use of mobility and the
  avoidance of enemy units that could hit back.
  This was demonstrated in the mobility of the
  small squads of men in Saigon.
• Giap believed that the United States was
  overextended and that popular support for
  President Johnsons war would fade if the United
  States continued to experience military setbacks.
  This thinking led to Tet.
• Giap was prepared to wage a war for decades and
  sacrifice thousands or even tens of thousands
  of lives to achieve victory. The high Viet Cong
  casualties during Tet were evidence of this.

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Ties to North Vietnam

• General Giap was the Defence Minister and
  Commander of the Armed Forces for North Vietnam
  AND the chief military strategist for the Viet
  Cong.
• The North Vietnamese Army (NVA) had attacked the
  marine base at Khe Sanh 11 days before Tet. This
  shows shared leadership, coordination and
  planning.

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In pairs BRIEFLY complete these sentences
Giap could claim victory because Westmoreland could claim victory because

• The most convincing victory belongs to
• Because..

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Tet and Consequences

• Impact of Tet
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vKiW5FXs1n6M
• News Broadcast in February
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vJdOb_183d1ofeature
  fvw
• President Johnson says I will not run!
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v2-FibDxpkb0

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Tet The Consequences

• January 31 ?Tet Offensive
• February 1 ? Photograph of South Vietnamese
  Police Chief Loan executing a Viet Cong suspect
  in Saigon further inflames the anti-war protest
  movement.
• Early March ? U.S. troops have cleared the last
  towns of Viet Cong forces. 50,000 communists have
  been killed.
• March ? General Westmoreland asks for 200,000
  more troops. New Defence Secretary Clark Clifford
  warns him that the U.S. may have to withdraw all
  troops.
• March 31 ? After narrowly winning the first
  Presidential Primary Johnson announces that he
  will not seek re-election.

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May NovemberPeace Talks - Nixon

• May 10. Peace talks open in Paris. Johnson had
  reduced the bombing attacks on North Vietnam and
  challenged Hanoi to enter peace talks.
• Averill Harrison (U.S. Representative) and Xuan
  Thuy (North Vietnam) reach a deadlock that lasts
  five years! Thuy insisted that the Viet Cong be
  included in the Saigon government (significant
  group!) but the U.S. refuse to deal with the Viet
  Cong.
• Five days before the election Johnson calls for
  an end to Operation Rolling Thunder.
• Richard Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey and wins
  the 1968 election. He has promised to end the war
  but has not stated how.
• Christmas 1968 Viet Cong ?. American bombing has
  stopped, Johnson has gone, anti-war protests are
  dividing America and 30,000 Americans have been
  killed in Vietnam.

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Your homework

• Due Next Tuesday
• A detailed essay plan
• Topic sentence (the main point)
• At least 6 Bullet Points that explain the key
  idea and provide evidence to support it.

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And remember