Page 484 - The Viet-Cong Tet_Offensive_1968

partly traced to an attitude of ower-reliance on the Arnerican a1lies
in spite of the rnany cal1s of the nationrs leaders to rnore austerity
and dedication to national unity. The feeling of over reli.ance was
still very rnuch intact until the day the enerny struck.

On the Part of our Arnerican allies, there also was too
rnuch optirni srn.
The VC,too, suJfered frorn this optirnism, As they
failed to gain their objectives, they soon recognized that the rnain
reason for their failure was that they skipped a stage of the doctrine
of revolutionary warfare. This truth was apparent in rnany captured
C ornrnuni st docurnents. Moreover, the Viet Cong failure also resulted
in incornparable losses in rnanpower and equipment, followed by
deteriorating rnorale that had its best reflections in their lack of
confidence in the traditional Cornrnunist strategy and the leadership
of the Party.
Following step by steP the long rrTetrr campaign, one
certainly would see rnore than an indication of Ilanoirs war weariness'
This had its best reflections in; an ever growing nurnber of teenaged
cornbatants sent to the frontline without adequate Preparation, in the
dipping rnorale of Viet Cong troops, who becarne rnore and rnore
unwilling to rnake the necessary sacri{ices, and the rnounting di-fficul-
ties faced by the C ornrnuni st war machinery in bringing so many
people and supplies to the Southern frontlines.
The enerny was faced with very rnuch the sarne dilemma
before and after their rrTetrt offensive. Since they were unable to win
the war mititarily in the face of strong a1lied power, their exPectations
to achieve a rnilitary victory turned into gloorn. There lies the reason
why the conflict was brought to the c:nference table that originally
saw only the participation of US and North Vietnamese delegates'

In this last phase of the conflict, the enern)t again tried
in vain to bring the war to the cities of South Vietnarn. His failule to
achieve any clearcut victories, however, once rnore resulted in the
death of thousands of innocent civilians and the destruction of rnany
populous areas. It also reflected the enernyrs resentment at not being
supported by the people since there is no other explanation for the
pounding of populated areas with lZZrnrn rockets.
In the view of qtite a few Vietnarrrese observers, this
also indicates the enernyrs inability to enter serious negociations

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