Group Four Worksheet: Vietnam Conflict

1. Why had public support for the war collapsed, making a military defeat inevitable? Consider the following points:
   
   
   • the military and political outcome of the 1968 Tet Offensive.
     
   • the effect on public opinion of the "credibility gap" between the Johnson administration's public statements and the reality on the ground in Vietnam.
     
   • the uncertainty of U.S. policymakers about the war's projected length and cost.
     
   • the rise of a large and vocal antiwar movement.
     
   
   
2. Despite defeat and collapse of public support, why did the Nixon administration choose to continue the war? Consider the following points:
   
   
   • the difficulties of negotiating a reasonable peace agreement from a position of military weakness (steady U.S. troop withdrawals),
     
   • pressure from hawkish politicians and citizens of both parties to continue the war.
     
   • the effect of a withdrawal from Vietnam, and a likely Communist victory thereafter, on U.S. credibility as leader of the free world
     
   • Nixon's concern for his personal prestige and historical reputation.