Vietnam 1968: A turning point?

• January 1968, during Buddhist new year there was an onofficial ceasefire.
• 80 000 VC launched an offensive: 75% of main vietnamese towns captured
• American Embassy in Saigon was even captured for a few hours - and extension of America? Had the VC invaded America?
• However, the offensive failed for the VC.

AMERICAN FAILURE?

portrayed as a failure by the media; after Tet more Americans opposed the war than supported it.

The offensive showed that even despte three years of bombing and billions of dollars the US hadnt eradicated the VC and the end was nowhere in sight. 

Johnson saw the war was loosing support and authorised in a small amout of the 200 000 troops Westmoreland wanted after Tet.

• 16th March 1968
• Lieutennant Calley led a group into My Lai to look for VC but couldn't find anyone and killed the whole village (400-500 people)
• This stroy came out in 1969, and public opinion for the war decreased even further because they couldnt see that America were achieving anything in Vietnam, it was just spending billions of dollars and murdering innocent civillians.