Vietnam War Turning Points

1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.

The Tet offensive brough up many domestic questions surrounding the war. Many questioned how the Communists were able to wage a successful offensive against the US forces considering all the money the US was putting into the war. It was also very destructive and carried with it many casualities. It caused a major drop in domestic support for the war.

2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?

No. Source 51 is curseing the actions that took place as unmoral, compareing them to those that the Nazis would carry out in WWII. Source 52 tried to justify the actions that were taken as not a mass murder but a stand against the evils of communism.

3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?

It became a "dont't ask don't tell" situation because of the fear of what would happen if word got out. Those involved in the massacre knew what would happen if the American public found out about the killing of so many innocents at the hands of the US Army. The already miniscule support that remained for the war would dissappear and there would be political nightmares for all involved in the war.

4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?

American throughout history had been held to a higher moral standard. Never before had such non excusable devistateing actions been taken willingly by US soldiers. It was a shock because most everybody thought that the US was above that.