An alternative feature which also led to the decision to withdraw is the significance of Tet offensive. This brought about the realisation that the war could not be won therefore people turned against the war. On January 30th 1968 the Vietcong attacked the major cities of South Vietnam. It showed that the Vietcong could strike anywhere and anytime and the US military can’t do anything to stop it. Hence it made it clear that the war could not be won and so this persuaded Nixon during the 1968 Presidential elections that the US forces must withdraw from Vietnam. I believe that this is less important than the previous factor because it displays the failure of the military as they cannot do anything to prevent the Vietcong from attacking and also this caused the US to lose support of the American people.
Another reason why the US decision was taken to withdraw because of the strength of the North Vietnam. This is because the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, the communist Vietminh which was the People’s Liberation Army gained support from all levels of society. This was primarily because they appealed to the hearts and minds of the native population by introducing land reforms which strengthened their hold. Furthermore General Giap’s soldiers treated people with in a respectable manner by being polite, fair, returning anything that was borrowed, not bullying, did not fraternise with women and didn’t cause damage to the homes of the people and if they did they paid for it. Moreover the guerrilla tactics used were effective in combating the opponents as they harassed opponents into confusion and exhaustion; abandoned towns and avoided frontal attacks; the tunnels were well hidden in underground bunkers which contained workshops, kitchens, hospitals and store houses, this was connected by a network of narrow tunnels and booby trapped to kill US soldiers. In addition to the effectiveness of guerrilla tactics the North Vietnamese were determined to fight for their independence. This is mainly because the Vietcong were strongly motivated and they believed passionately for their cause and independence. Plus they were backed by the Soviet Union and China moreover Ho’s declaration of independence of the democratic Republic of Vietnam attracted massive support. This reason is less important than the previous two factors because if only the US soldiers understood the reason why the North Vietnamese were gaining support to strengthen their hold, then it may have been possible to win the war and not have to withdraw from Vietnam. In addition the significance of Tet offensive displayed to the Northerners that they are close to victory because US military cannot do anything to win.
On the other hand, the media attention turned people against the war. This is because it displayed uncensored images of the execution of the Vietcong by the police during the Tet offensive. Walter Cronkite was a respected journalist who strongly supported the war until February 1968 when he concluded that the war could not be won. The media suggested that Johnson’s war and his way of conducting was wrong and this lost the confidence of white house officials and the troops in Vietnam. The military accused the media of “stabbing in the back” and Johnson accused the media of seriously undermining war efforts. This accusation was brought about because in August 1965 the CBS news showed a marine setting fire to a peasant’s hut with a cigarette lighter and after 1969 the where various reporting’s of death and causalities which caused war weariness and led to a decline in support. This persuaded the US to withdraw because they were seen as criminals tormenting victims however this has less significance than the previous factors because if the military had understood the correct tactics to use then maybe it would have limited the media attention thus they would have the support of the media.
The media attention led to domestic pressures, because many opposed the war as a result of the role of the media. This is because it demonstrated the horrors due to the methods used by the US such as napalm and other chemical weapons. The images had a strong impact on the US society and many opposed the due to these attitudes. This also led to fears of potential nuclear holocaust and this increased the number of people who believed the war as immoral. Additionally many saw the war as being illegal because it broke the Geneva agreements of 1954 and it had not been sanctioned by the UN or SEATO. Although many had supported the conflict in Korea many did not support the Vietnam war because it lasted much longer than Korea. Those that opposed the war had their own reasons for doing so for example the blacks opposed the war because it slowed down the progress of the improvements being made on Johnson’s “War on poverty” thus Muhammad Ali refused to fight in Vietnam. Others opposed the war because USA was seen supporting a corrupt regime which would not win. In addition the invasion of Cambodia and the killings at Kent State University in 1970 put pressures on congress to limit the powers of presidents and committing troops to Vietnam. This led to the decision to withdraw from Vietnam because the US presidents wanted the support of citizens during elections and in order to get this support the presidents had to take into account their views. This factor is less crucial than the earlier factors because all the factors combined together led to the decision to withdraw. Moreover it concluded that the military cannot use any sort of tactics to ensue victory therefore this also added to the decline in support thus the decision was taken to withdraw.
In conclusion, the US’ decision to withdraw from Vietnam can be seen as a result of the combination of all these factors. However, the main factor being military defeat. This is because from the start it was clear that the military didn’t understand the correct methods to follow and this increased further problems and finally the decision was taken to withdraw when the US government realised that the war could not be won.
