North Vietnamese Strategy During the Tet Offensive and Psychological Victory A David Hommer Production

Key Elements of Thesis Logistical Planning Pre-Assault Reconnaissance Diversionary Attacks Use Of Mass Media

What Was The Tet Offensive? General Giap Tet Lunar Holiday Cease-Fire tradition

Tet Offensive Combatants  North Vietnamese troops: 80,000  Viet Cong southern insurgents total participation: Unknown  American military personnel: 200,000

Beginning of The Tet Offensive  Diversionary attack  Viet Cong disguise  Viet Cong sapper attack on the U.S. Embassy at Saigon  Great Seal at Embassy  Premature Assault

Logistical Planning  Planning began months prior  Ho Chi Minh Trail  North Vietnamese Minister’s Offer  US bombing

Pre-Assault Reconnaissance  Orders of General Giap  Reconnaissance units  Conducted reconnaissance of routes to objectives  Analysis of enemy positions and strength

Diversionary Attacks (Khe Sanh)  Major battle of the Vietnam War  Westmoreland, final battle in war  20,000 North Vietnamese, 6,000 US Marines  Main store of ammunition destroyed

Role of American Mass Media  Mass media=Unhappy American public  Riots in America, demonstrations  Made it clear Johnson administration was lying  Mass media sensationalized the fighting  U.S. Secretary Dean Rusk was not pleased

Map of Attack

Effects of the Tet Offensive  Effectively ended American escalation in Vietnam  Demonstrated the capability of the North Vietnamese  Role of mass media  Americans began looking for an “exit strategy”

Conclusion  Tet Offensive: military defeat, psychological victory  North Vietnamese strategy  Masterminded by General Vo Nguyen Giap