Secretary of State Dean Rusk Details Reactions to the Tet Offensive (1981)

Rusk: Now we have to think about that. Because we were trying to do in effect in cold blood what we were asking the fellows out there to do in hot blood, and that's very difficult. It's difficult for those who are carrying the battle, it's difficult on the home front. And it just means that life is getting to be more complicated if we're going to avoid that utter catastrophe some day. Interviewer: Jump ahead to 1968 into the Tet Offensive. What was the reaction in the administration to the Tet Offensive when it broke, and what was your own reaction? And how did it change American policy towards Vietnam? Rusk: To begin with we were somewhat surprised that they had launched such a major offensive in different parts of the country during their traditional holidays. Because uh in the past both sides had sort of taken it easy during the Tet period. But um as the battle proceeded, it became clear that this was a major military set back for the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese forces. Although they had gotten to the American Embassy in Saigon and they held on some other places for a while, this led to a major destruction of their cadres and many of their personnel; somewhat like the lunge of Hitler in the Battle of the Bulge in World II . Rusk: But even though it was a considerable military setback for the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong out there on the ground, it was in effect a brilliant political victory for them here in the United States. I'm not sure I fully understand the reasons why that should have occurred, but it became very clear after the Tet Offensive that many people at the grass roots, such as my cousins in Cherokee County , finally came to the conclusion that if we could not tell them when this war was going to end, and we couldn't in any good faith, that we might as well chuck it.

Rusk: Now this had very little to do with students demonstrating on campuses and things of that sort. This was the gut reaction of people at the grass roots and, we had a good many evidences of that all across the country. So I think the impact of the Tet Offensive in this country was very great indeed. Interviewer: Now at that time, who was the president sensitive to, who was he listening to? On the one hand you had the wise men, you had the, his advisers, you had Walter Cronkite with his helmet on, reporting from Vietnam. Uh, what was for example the effect of Cronkite in particular out there turning sour on things?