The Tet Offensive: A Brief History with Documents

by ;
Edition: 1st
Format: Hardcover
Pub. Date: 2008-03-17
Publisher(s): Routledge
  • Free Shipping Icon

    Free Shipping On All Orders!*

    Free economy shipping applies to all orders shipped to residential addresses. Orders shipped to campus receive free standard shipping. Free shipping offers do not apply to Marketplace items.

  • eCampus.com Device Compatibility Matrix

    Click the device icon to install or view instructions

    Apple iOS | iPad, iPhone, iPod
    Apple iOS | iPad, iPhone, iPod
    Android Devices | Android Tables & Phones OS 2.2 or higher | *Kindle Fire
    Android Devices | Android Tables & Phones OS 2.2 or higher | *Kindle Fire
    Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP
    Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP
    Mac OS X | **iMac / Macbook
    Mac OS X | **iMac / Macbook
    Enjoy offline reading with these devices
    Apple Devices
    Android Devices
    Windows Devices
    Mac Devices
    iPad, iPhone, iPod
    Our reader is compatible
     
     
     
    Android 2.2 +
     
    Our reader is compatible
     
     
    Kindle Fire
     
    Our reader is compatible
     
     
    Windows
    10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP
     
     
    Our reader is compatible
     
    Mac
     
     
     
    Our reader is compatible
List Price: $165.00

Buy New

Usually Ships in 5-7 Business Days
$164.84

Rent Textbook

Select for Price
There was a problem. Please try again later.

Rent Digital

Rent Digital Options
Online:180 Days access
Downloadable:180 Days
$34.32
Online:365 Days access
Downloadable:365 Days
$40.56
Online:1825 Days access
Downloadable:Lifetime Access
$62.39
*To support the delivery of the digital material to you, a digital delivery fee of $3.99 will be charged on each digital item.
$34.32*

Used Textbook

We're Sorry
Sold Out

How Marketplace Works:

  • This item is offered by an independent seller and not shipped from our warehouse
  • Item details like edition and cover design may differ from our description; see seller's comments before ordering.
  • Sellers much confirm and ship within two business days; otherwise, the order will be cancelled and refunded.
  • Marketplace purchases cannot be returned to eCampus.com. Contact the seller directly for inquiries; if no response within two days, contact customer service.
  • Additional shipping costs apply to Marketplace purchases. Review shipping costs at checkout.

Summary

The Tet Offensive is widely considered to be a turning point of the Vietnam War. From that point forward, although the campaigns included in the Offensive were crushing defeats for the Communist forces, the U.S. support for the war dwindled. Although defeated militarily, the Communists did effectively manipulate media influence, propaganda, and popular opinion to sway the outcome of their military objectives. Through primary sources, collected together for the first time, William Thomas Allison explores the Tet Offensive through political, military, and public lenses, including the Vietnamese perspective, to give students and scholars a well-rounded view of the events.

Author Biography

William Thomas Allison is Professor of History at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgementsp. x
List of illustrationsp. xi
List of abbreviationsp. xiii
Chronologyp. xv
Introductionp. 1
The Tet Offensivep. 5
Background: the situation before Tetp. 7
The American political and military contextp. 7
The South Vietnamese political and military contextp. 16
The North Vietnamese political and military contextp. 19
North Vietnamese planning and objectivesp. 22
The Tet campaignp. 28
The Border Battlesp. 28
The Battle of Khe Sanhp. 33
Tet beginsp. 40
The battle for Saigonp. 42
The across South Vietnamp. 49
The battle for Huep. 50
The aftermath of Tetp. 57
The request for more troopsp. 58
Public opinionp. 61
A change in policyp. 63
The impact of Tetp. 69
On the NLF/PLAFp. 69
On North Vietnamp. 70
On South Vietnamp. 71
On the United Statesp. 71
Documentsp. 77
JUSPAO Field Memorandum Number 31: A Vietnamese looks at Tet: November 28, 1966p. 79
Memorandum from the Special Assistant for Counterinsurgency and Special Activities (DePuy) to the Director, Joint Staff (Goodpaster): September 8, 1967p. 83
Address on Vietnam before the National Legislative Conference, San Antonio, Texas: September 29, 1967p. 85
Memorandum from the President's Assistant (Jones) to President Johnson: meeting of the Wise Men: November 2, 1967p. 92
Telegram from the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State: November 22, 1967p. 108
Telegram from the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Deputy Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Abrams): November 25, 1967p. 109
Telegram from General Westmoreland, COMUSMACV, to General Wheeler, CJCS: December 10, 1967p. 111
Information memorandum from the President's Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson: December 16, 1967p. 115
U.S., puppets, to sabotage holiday cease-fire on Liberation Radio in Vietnamese to South Vietnam: December 18, 1967p. 117
Memorandum from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler) to Secretary of Defense McNamara: January 20, 1968p. 120
Memorandum from the Joint Chiefs of Staff to President Johnson: January 29, 1968p. 122
Telegram from the Commander of the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces (Sharp) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler): January 30, 1968p. 124
Notes of meeting: January 30, 1968p. 126
Intelligence memorandum: January 31, 1968p. 130
Interrogation of Ngo Van Giang: January 28-January 31, 1968p. 133
Interrogation of Nguyen Van Sau: January 28-January 31, 1968p. 138
Telegram from General Westmoreland, COMSUMACV, to General Wheeler, CJCS: February 1, 1968p. 144
Telegram from the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler): February 1, 1968p. 145
Memorandum from William J. Jorden of the National Security Council Staff to the President's Special Assistant (Rostow): February 3, 1968p. 147
Telegram from the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Forces (Sharp): February 3, 1968p. 151
Telegram from the Embassy in Vietnam to the Department of State: February 4, 1968p. 153
Telegram from General Westmoreland, COMUSMACV, to General Wheeler, CJCS: February 4, 1968p. 158
Memorandum from the President's Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson: February 6, 1968p. 160
Notes of meeting: February 7, 1968p. 163
Notes of meeting: February 9, 1968p. 167
Telegram from the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) to the Commander in Chief, Pacific Command (Sharp) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler): February 12, 1968p. 177
Notes of meeting: February 12, 1968p. 180
After action report, 716th Military Police Battalion: February 12, 1968p. 187
PLAF Command salutes 20-day fight in Hue over Liberation Radio (South Vietnam People's Liberation Armed Forces Command's message to the armed forces and people of Hue): February 21, 1968p. 193
Memorandum from the Ambassador's Special Assistant (Lansdale) to the Ambassador to Vietnam (Bunker): February 27, 1968p. 196
Notes of meeting: February 27, 1968p. 206
Walter Cronkite on CBS News: February 27, 1968p. 209
Report by the Joint Chiefs of Staff: March 1, 1968p. 211
Memorandum from the President's Special Assistant (Rostow) to President Johnson: March 6, 1968p. 215
Telegram from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Wheeler) to the Commander, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (Westmoreland) and the Commander in Chief, Pacific (Sharp): March 8, 1968p. 218
President Johnson's remarks to delegates to the National Farmers Union Convention in Minneapolis: March 18, 1968p. 221
Telephone conversation between President Johnson and Secretary of Defense Clifford: March 20, 1968p. 226
Letter from 2nd Lieutenant Ray Smith, USMC, to Captain Batcheller, USMC: March 25, 1968p. 230
Medal of Honor citation for Sergeant Alfredo Gonzales, United States Marine Corpsp. 233
President Johnson's address to the nation: March 31, 1968p. 235
Report on Operation Bigbuild: c. July 1968p. 245
Notesp. 253
Bibliographyp. 256
Indexp. 260
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

An electronic version of this book is available through VitalSource.

This book is viewable on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and most smartphones.

By purchasing, you will be able to view this book online, as well as download it, for the chosen number of days.

Digital License

You are licensing a digital product for a set duration. Durations are set forth in the product description, with "Lifetime" typically meaning five (5) years of online access and permanent download to a supported device. All licenses are non-transferable.

More details can be found here.

A downloadable version of this book is available through the eCampus Reader or compatible Adobe readers.

Applications are available on iOS, Android, PC, Mac, and Windows Mobile platforms.

Please view the compatibility matrix prior to purchase.