Download - 1968: The Pivotal Year
1968: THE PIVOTAL YEAR
The Tet Offensive Jan. 30, 1968 Vietcong and N.
Vietnamese launched surprise attack during Tet New Year. There was an agreed upon 2 day
cease-fire for both sides so the Vietnamese could celebrate the Tet New Year
Vietminh and Vietcong launched attack on 1st day of Tet
Vietcong attacked major cities and towns and all American airbases in South Vietnam and major cities
The Tet Offensive More than 80,000
communists attacked towns and cities in S. Vietnam
In Saigon, South Vietnamese capital, the Viet Cong attacked the American embassy
Fierce fighting in Saigon continued for several weeks
Communist Brutality Communists slaughtered anyone
labeled an enemy, including minor officials, teachers, and doctors
Hue, South Vietnam—a massive grave of 3,000 to 5,000 civilian bodies found after Americans retook the city
American forces dislodged the Viet Cong from most positions they seized in South Vietnam
Turning point of the War? Americans were shocked that the N.
Vietnamese who were supposedly near defeat, could launch an attack
Gen. Westmoreland called for more troopssignal that we could not win the war
Tet Offensive shattered the credibility of the U.S. gov’t who claimed the enemy was virtually beaten
LBJ’s approval rating sunkannounced he would not run in 1968
Turning point of the war Military disaster for Vietcong/N. Vietnam Political success for Vietcong/N. Vietnam
Tet Offensive demonstrated that the Viet Cong was still strong
Anti-war protests increased Lasted from January to September
1968
My Lai Massacre Due to the stress of the war, some American
soldiers committed atrocities My Lai, a small village in South Vietnam, was
thought to be hiding 250 Viet Cong U.S. infantry moved to clear out the village in
March 1968 for a “search and destroy” mission
U.S. soldiers found women, children, and old men
Lieutenant William L. Calley Jr ordered for all civilians to be rounded up and then executed
“We huddled them up. We made them squat down…I poured about four clips [about 68 shots] into the group…Well, we kept right on firing…I still dream about it…Some nights, I can’t event sleep. I just lay there thinking about it.”
Private Paul Meadlo
My Lai (cont’d) About 400 Vietnamese
died An American helicopter
crew landed the helicopter between the soldiers and Vietnamese to stop the killing
Hugh Thompson, the pilot, evacuated the remaining Vietnamese
Effects of My Lai American people did not learn of My Lai
until Nov. 1969 (20 months later) News of the My Lai incident broke and
news of the Army cover-up enraged Americans
Lieutenant Calley was sentenced to life in prison, but had his term reduced to 20 years by President Nixon Released on good behavior after three years
The helicopter crew received the Soldier’s Medal for bravery in 1998
Johnson Decides Not to Run As a result of Tet, polls showed that 72% of
Americans were against the war LBJ rarely left the White House for fears of
being assaulted by angry protestors 1968 Democrat Eugene McCarthy’s anti-
war campaign gained momentum McCarthy was going to challenge LBJ for the
Democratic nomination for the Election of 1968 March 12—McCarthy almost beat LBJ in the
New Hampshire primary Robert Kennedy entered the race as an
anti-war candidate
On March 31, 1968, President Johnson declared in a nationally televised speech that he would not run for another term
Robert Kennedy’s campaign on anti-war and pro-civil rights made him the front runner to be the Democratic candidate in 1968
Two Leaders Fall Two Americans who spoke out
against the war were killed in 1968 MLK Jr., who spoke out against the
war on moral grounds and opposed blacks being drafted, was killed on April 4
Robert Kennedy was killed on June 5 after celebrating his victory in the California primary by a Jordanian immigrant, Sirhan Sirhan
The nation was shocked and mourned the death of MLK, Jr. and RFK
Violence at the Democratic Convention in Chicago Thousands of protestors gathered for a rally near the convention hotel
Protests erupt after Democratic delegates refuse to pass an anti-war plank for the party’s platform
Police moved in with nightsticks to club anyone on the street
Much of the violence took place in front of cameras
Election of 1968 Hubert Humphrey, LBJ’s VP,
was chosen as the Democratic candidate
Humphrey fully supported the Vietnam War and had publicly scorned peace activists as cowardly and un-American
Richard Nixon who promoted “peace with honor” in Vietnam defeated Humphrey by only about 500,000 votes