Dr. Lemp
English 411 Section M4
04 March 2015
Tet Offensive Informative Speech Outline
I. Introduction/Background
a. January 1968, North Vietnam announces a seven-day ceasefire in celebration of the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, or Tet
b. U.S. ground forces have been in Vietnam for three years, fighting nearly 300,000 North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong gorillas
c. Morning of 31 January, the North Vietnamese launch the Tet Offensive
II. Launch of the Tet Offensive
a. 0200: General Westmorland’s headquarters under attack
b. 0247: U.S. Embassy in Saigon is breached by Viet Cong
c. 0255: South Vietnamese governmental headquarters are attacked and burned
d. 0333: 8,000 enemy troops take over the City of Hue
III. Horrific Outcomes of the Military Attack
a. 126 cities get attacked at the same time; cities, towns, and military bases
b. South Vietnam under attack by roughly 84,000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong
c. The Enemy has prepared the Tet Offensive for seven months
d. Bloodiest year for American Troops, over 15,000 killed
IV. Turning Point in the Vietnam War
a. News coverage was not subject to government censorship
b. U.S. killed the entire enemy, but it can still be considered a loss
c. North Vietnamese achieved a strategic victory
d. American Public receives first unrestricted view of the graphic images of war
V. Impacts on the American Homeland
a. The “credibility gap” between administration’s claims and reality was widened
b. Americans held a more cautious and distrustful attitude towards government
c. Military victory for America, but huge impact on U.S. home front
d. Caused a plunge in public support for the Vietnam War
To conclude, although the Tet Offensive was clearly a military defeat for the Viet Cong on the battlefield of Vietnam, it made a huge impact on the U.S. home front. The offensive shocked American people and international observers, damaged the government’s credibility, and caused a plunge in public support leading to American de-escalation of the war.
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