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General Võ Nguyên Giáp and the Mysterious Evolution of the Plan for the 1968 Tết Offensive

2008; University of California Press; Volume: 3; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1525/vs.2008.3.2.1

1559-3738

Merle L. Pribbenow,

Vietnamese History and Culture Studies

The 1968 Tết Offensive was the brainchild of Communist Party Secretary Lê Duẩn and General Văn Tiến Dũng. The Hà Nội government wanted to exploit the 1968 US presidential elections by opening negotiations with the United States. When General Võ Nguyên Giáp failed to devise a workable plan to win a military victory to give the communists leverage in the planned negotiations, Lê Duẩn and Văn Tiến Dũng pushed the risky plan for a nationwide "general offensive" through a reluctant Politburo in spite of opposition from General Võ Nguyên Giáp and Hồ Chí Minh.