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| Joined: | Sun Sep 4th, 2005 |
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This about the effect the media and politicians had on the outcome in Vietnam, a war in which the US never lost a battle. General Giap was the Commanding General of the NVA and was later Defense Minister of North Vietnam.
In his book Giap indicates that NVA troops were without sufficient supplies. Morale was low. General Giap and the NVA viewed the Tet Offensive as a costly military failure, and they were prepared to negotiate a surrender within a few months. Then, they heard Walter Cronkite (former CBS News anchor and correspondent) on TV proclaiming the success of the Tet Offensive by the communist NVA. They were amazed to hear reports of the U.S. Embassy being overrun when they knew the NVA had not gained access to the building itself. Further reports indicated riots and protests on the streets of America.
According to Giap, these distorted reports were inspirational to the NVA. The American media were doing more for their cause than could any military victory. The NVA leadership decided then to persevere, anticipating that the protesters in America would help them achieve a victory they could not win on the battlefield. This decision was made at a time when the U.S. battlefield casualties were fewer than 10,000, from the end of 1967 to beginning of 1968.
Peace talks between representatives from the United States, the Republic of Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, and the NLF began in Paris in January 1969. President Richard M. Nixon, like President Lyndon B. Johnson before him, was convinced that a U.S. withdrawal was necessary, but five years would pass before the last American troops left South Vietnam.
Giap on the cover of Time magazine during the 1972 Easter OffensiveIn October 1972, the negotiators came close to agreeing to a formula to end the conflict. The plan was that the last U.S. troops would withdraw from Vietnam in exchange for a cease-fire and the return of American prisoners held by Hànội. It was also agreed that the governments in North and South Vietnam would remain in power until new elections could be arranged to unite the whole country. Although the Nguyen Hue Offensive during the spring of 1972 was another costly failure, PAVN was able to gain a foothold in territorial South Vietnam from which to launch future offensives.
Although U.S. troops would leave the country, PAVN troops could remain in their positions in the south. In an effort to put pressure on both North and South Vietnam during the negotiations, President Nixon ordered a new series of air raids on Hà Nội and Hải Phòng. The DRV accepted the terms of the agreement and, on 27 January 1973, Nixon agreed to sign the Paris Peace Accords that had been proposed in October.