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The '''Tet Offensive of 1968''' was so named as 'Tet' is the Vietnamese New Year, upon which the attacks took place. When the [[North Vietnam]]ese and [[Vietcong]] troops assaulted targets throughout the Republic of Vietnam at the end of January 1968, they expected to trigger an uprising of the [[South Vietnam]]ese people against their government. Despite some spectacular early successes, the attacks failed. A large amount of the South Vietnamese did not embrace the cause; thousands of sappers, assault troops, and cadres met their deaths before overwhelming allied counterattacks; and the insurgent infrastructure was so decimated at the end of the fighting that no large enemy offensives could be mounted for four years.

The '''Tet Offensive of 1968''' was so named as 'Tet' is the Vietnamese New Year, upon which the surprise attacks took place. When the [[North Vietnam]]ese and [[Vietcong]] troops assaulted targets throughout the Republic of Vietnam at the end of January 1968, they expected to trigger an uprising of the [[South Vietnam]]ese people against their government. Despite some spectacular early successes, the attacks failed. A large amount of the South Vietnamese did not embrace the cause; thousands of sappers, assault troops, and cadres met their deaths before overwhelming allied counterattacks; and the insurgent infrastructure was so decimated at the end of the fighting that no large enemy offensives could be mounted for four years.

The assault included air attacks as well, with North Vietnamese MiG-17s hitting American bases with bombs and rockets.  Despite having the advantage of surprise, the attacks did little damage, and eight MiGs were lost to American defenses.<ref>''MiG-17 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2000</ref>

The assault included air attacks as well, with North Vietnamese MiG-17s hitting American bases with bombs and rockets.  Despite having the advantage of surprise, the attacks did little damage, and eight MiGs were lost to American defenses.<ref>''MiG-17 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2000</ref>

Donald Bishop wrote:

Donald Bishop wrote:

:Nonetheless, the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war, and the North Vietnamese were successful in altering the course of [[Vietnam War|the war]] far beyond the accomplishments of their army. The American people were shocked that the Vietcong/ [[North Vietnamese Army]] (VC/NV A) possessed the strength to make the widespread strikes.  In the public clamor that followed, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] announced a bombing halt and withdrew from the 1968 Presidential race. The policy of Vietnamization was launched, and many Americans concluded that the war was too costly to pursue.<ref>[http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1978/nov-dec/bishop.html]</ref>

:Nonetheless, the Tet offensive was a turning point in the war, and the North Vietnamese were successful in altering the course of [[Vietnam War|the war]] far beyond the accomplishments of their army. The American people were shocked that the Vietcong/ [[North Vietnamese Army]] (VC/NV A) possessed the strength to make the widespread strikes.  In the public clamor that followed, President [[Lyndon Johnson]] announced a bombing halt and withdrew from the 1968 Presidential race. The policy of Vietnamization was launched, and many Americans concluded that the war was too costly to pursue.<ref>[http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1978/nov-dec/bishop.html The Press and the TET Offensive]</ref>

[[James Q. Wilson]] wrote:

[[James Q. Wilson]] wrote:

*In January 1968, ... Communist forces during the Tet holiday launched a major attack on South Vietnamese cities. According to virtually every competent observer, these forces met a sharp defeat, but American press accounts described Tet instead as a major communist victory. Washington Post reporter Peter Braestrup later published a book in which he explained the failure of the press to report the Tet offensive accurately. His summary: "Rarely has contemporary crisis-journalism turned out, in retrospect, to have veered so widely from reality."

*In January 1968, ... Communist forces during the Tet holiday launched a major attack on South Vietnamese cities. According to virtually every competent observer, these forces met a sharp defeat, but American press accounts described Tet instead as a major communist victory. Washington Post reporter Peter Braestrup later published a book in which he explained the failure of the press to report the Tet offensive accurately. His summary: "Rarely has contemporary crisis-journalism turned out, in retrospect, to have veered so widely from reality."

*Even as the facts became clearer, the press did not correct its false report that the North Vietnamese had won. When NBC News producer Robert Northshield was asked at the end of 1968 whether the network should put on a news show indicating that American and South Vietnamese troops had won, he rejected the idea, because Tet was already "established in the public's mind as a defeat, and therefore it was an American defeat." [http://www.opinionjournal.com/federation/feature/?id=110009203]

*Even as the facts became clearer, the press did not correct its false report that the North Vietnamese had won. When NBC News producer Robert Northshield was asked at the end of 1968 whether the network should put on a news show indicating that American and South Vietnamese troops had won, he rejected the idea, because Tet was already "established in the public's mind as a defeat, and therefore it was an American defeat."  

==References==

==References==