Vietnam: A Television History Tet: 1968 (Season 1, Episode 7)
TV Episode | Documentary, History, War

Vietnam: A Television History

Tet: 1968 (Season 1, Episode 7)

TV Episode | Documentary, History, War

The year 1968 was to be a new year for US efforts in Vietnam. Reports from the Embassy said that they were winning the ground war but American TV reports were showing a different picture altogether. The Tet offensive showed to what extent ...See moreThe year 1968 was to be a new year for US efforts in Vietnam. Reports from the Embassy said that they were winning the ground war but American TV reports were showing a different picture altogether. The Tet offensive showed to what extent the Johnson Administration's status reports on the war differed from reality. There was a major attack on Khe San several days before Tet. The New Year's attack was the biggest offensive of the war, with Viet Cong (VC) and regulars from the Army of North Vietnam (ARVN) attacking nearly every province and district capital in Vietnam. The attack on the U.S. Embassy in Saigon was the greatest shock with opposing troops managing to breach the security perimeter. Elsewhere in Saigon, VC and ARVN troops gained control of the main Vietnamese language radio station. The battle for Hue, the ancient capital, lasted 24 days and the city was destroyed in the process, leaving 75% of the people homeless. While the Tet offensive did not meet the North's expectations, the US realized that after three years in control of the fighting in Vietnam, they found itself in a war that was deadlocked. When news leaked that the military had requested an additional 206,000 troops, street demonstrations sprung up across America. It also led to an increase in popularity for a peace candidate, Senator Eugene McCarthy, who nearly defeated President Johnson in the New Hampshire primary. On March 31, 1968 President Johnson made a televised speech about peace in Vietnam and announced a halt to the bombing. He also announced he would not seek re-election. Written by garykmcd See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
22 cast members

Name	Known for
McGeorge Bundy Self Self See fewer	Jack: The Last Kennedy Film (1993)
George Christian Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Clark Clifford Self Self See fewer	Are We Winning Mommy? America & the Cold War (1986)
Xuan Teo Dang Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Myron Harrington Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Lyndon B. Johnson Self (archive footage) (as Lyndon Johnson) Self (archive footage) (as Lyndon Johnson) See fewer	Spartamerika
Robert F. Kennedy Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Missiles of October (1974)
Will Lyman Narrator Narrator See fewer	Mystic River (2003)
Mike Mansfield Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Eugene McCarthy Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	I Refuse to Kill: He Went to War with War
Harry McPherson Self Self See fewer	Eyes on the Prize (1987)
Ho Chí Minh Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	79 primaveras (1969)
Wayne Morse Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	World Wide '60 (1960)
Thi Xuan Que Pham Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Walt Rostow Self Self See fewer	Schooling the World (2010)
Dean Rusk Self Self See fewer	Santo Domingo: War Among Friends (1965)
Dinh Thong Tran Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Do Tran Self Self See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
Nguyen Van Thieu Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Issues and Answers (1960)
Nguyen Giap Vo Vietnamese general, victor of Dien Bien Phu Vietnamese general, victor of Dien Bien Phu See fewer	Vietnam: A Television History (1983)
William C. Westmoreland Self Self See fewer	From Hollywood to Hanoi (1992)
Earle G. Wheeler Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Issues and Answers (1960)