Tet Offensive and America Turns on LBJ

What examples of "unfair coverage" does Johnson give?

- Casualties - Use of bombs - The incident at the embassy

What factors mentioned in the clip might have convinced some Americans that Tet was a defeat for the US and South Vietnamese forces?

- The New York Times posted an article showing that the US had called 206,000 more troops to Vietnam. If the United States had truly won the war, they would not have needed more men

Why was President Johnson so upset about press coverage during Tet?

- The press often focused on the fighting in Saigon, and when they did show information about the Tet, they often lied about what was happening - Johnson accused the press of lying and skewing the events that were happening. He essentially called the media liars

What was Walter Cronkite's conclusion about American involvement in Vietnam? How might Cronkite's statue as a nationally known news anchor have influenced the average American viewing his broadcast?

- Walter Cronkite was convinced that victory was no longer in reach. He said a victory or a loss were not going to be the outcome of the war, but instead, the US would have to negotiate with Vietnam. His opinion influenced the average American viewing his broadcast because he was an established news anchor that people trusted. He was also directly involved in the war as he was in Vietnam was the fighting occurred. He had a first-hand view of the war, so people trusted his opinion

What is an embassy?

An office of a government in a foreign country

A Nation Turns on LBJ - Government Loses the Media: Walter ___ ___ the war after the Tet Offensive

Cronkite; opposed

Election of 1968: When it was announced at the ___ National Convention (held in ___) that Humphrey would be the ___ nominee, all eyes would be watching Chicago as ___ arrived to demonstrate the nomination

Democratic; Chicago; democratic; protestors

Election of 1968: Independent

George Wallace

Election of 1968: Democrat

Hubert Humphrey

Why do you think that early television footage of the embassy attack would have concerned many Americans?

It would have concerned many Americans because it showed the brutality of the war and the strength of the Vietcong as they were able to breach the US' security at the embassy. It also made the American public question what the government has been saying because clearly the US is not winning the war was easily as the government is saying

Election of 1968: Humphrey supported many of ___ domestic and ___ policies

LBJ's; foreign

Election of 1968: Nixon promised to restore "___ and ___" to Middle America

Law; order

A Nation Turns on LBJ: LBJ rarely ___ the White House for ___ of angry ___

Left; fear; protestors

A Nation Turns on LBJ: Eugene ___ and Robert ___ campaigned against ___ for the party's ___

McCarthy; Kennedy; Johnson; nomination

Election of 1968: ___ would eventually end America's involvement in ___, but not before his war policies created even more ___ and ___ within the country

Nixon; Vietnam; protest; uproar

Turning Point of the War - Ho Chi Minh Trail: ___ Vietnamese ___ and supplies entered ___ Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail, a route that passed through ___ and ___

North; troops; South; Laos; Cambodia

Turning Point of the War: The Vietcong won a ___ victory as American opinion began turning ___ the war

Psychological; against

Election of 1968: Republican

Richard Nixon

Who won the 1968 presidential election?

Richard Nixon

Election of 1968: Wallace was a champion of school ___ and ___ rights

Segregation; states'

Americans were caught completely by ___ because they believed that the Vietcong were near ___

Surprise; defeat

A Nation Turns on LBJ: Johnson announced nationally in a ___ speech that he would not seek another ___ as ___

Televised; term; president

The ___ ___ proved to be a turning point in the war

Tet Offensive

A Nation Turns on LBJ - Government Loses the Media: Because of the ___ ___, the US media announced that the US was ___ the war

Tet Offensive; losing

How might the photo of the execution of the Vietcong agent have affected the American public watching at home?

The American public started to question if they were backing the right side as the execution photo showed the brutality of democracy. People started to question if it truly was better than communism

How might the execution photo have influenced American public opinion about the South Vietnamese army and its support for the American war effort?

The South Vietnamese army also started to question its support for the American war effort. Did they really want to spend the money and risk the lives of young men for a form of government that was openly brutal and ruthless

What evidence does the clip give to prove that the Tet Offensive was a defeat for the North Vietnamese and the Vietcong?

The Vietnamese public may not have agreed with democracy, but they disagreed with communism more. North Vietnam did not get the support that they assumed they would have

Walter Cronkite was considered the most ___ man in America

Trusted

How might the statement, "it became necessary to destroy the town to save it" have influenced public opinion about military goals and the Tet Offensive?

While the American government perceived the Tet Offensive as a victory, the media showed it as a loss. This caused the American public to lose faith in their country as America looked weak

Turning Point of the War: On January 31, 1968, the first day of the Vietnamese new ___ (___), the Vietcong attacked numerous ___ and towns, and American ___

Year; Tet; cities; bases