Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 160
Trim: 5¾ x 8¾
978-0-7425-4486-4 • Paperback • September 2005 • $40.00 • (£30.00)
David F. Schmitz is Robert Allen Skotheim Chair of History at Whitman College. He is the author of Henry L. Stimson: The First Wise Man, Thank God They're On Our Side: The United States and Right-Wing Dictatorships, 1921–1965, and The United States and Fascist Italy, 1922–1940.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The American Road to Vietnam
Chapter 2: Light at the End of the Tunnel
Chapter 3: The Tet Offensive
Chapter 4: Capping Escalation
Chapter 5: The Meaning of Tet
Bibliographic Essay
The Tet Offensive is a lucid and authoritative reexamination of a key moment in the Vietnam War. Schmitz is an intelligent and discerning historian, and he shows it in this excellent brief introduction to the subject.
— Fredrik Logevall, Cornell University; author of Choosing War: The Lost Chance for Peace and the Escalation of War in Vietnam
The Tet Offensive is essential reading for scholars and students of the Vietnam War as well as general readers interested in one of the key turning points in post-1945 American history. Writing with remarkable economy and clarity, David F. Schmitz persuasively argues for a new understanding of U.S. decision-making during the critical early months of 1968. In the process, he dismantles the old and pernicious notion that the American media turned a military victory for the United States into a defeat by convincing the U.S. public that the war was unwinnable. This book will surely stand for years to come as the most authoritative brief account of American responses to the Tet Offensive.
— Mark A. Lawrence, University of Texas at Austin; author of The Vietnam War: A Concise International History
Schmitz offers a concise, convincing portrayal of the Tet Offensive's crucial significance in the history of the Vietnam War. . . . Highly recommended.
— H. Shapiro, University of Cincinnati; Choice Reviews
David F. Schmitz has produced a compact and readable history of what is arguably the most important chapter in the American war in Vietnam.
— Erik B. Villard, U.S. Center of Military History
David Schmitz has provided a sound, compact, and fast-paced account of the critical phase of the Vietnam War, nicely blending military, political, diplomatic, and economic developments. This book should prove appealing to students and general readers alike.
— Robert J. McMahon, The Ohio State University
-A perfect supplement to highlight this critical battle and the impact of media coverage on public opinion during the Vietnam War.
-Offers a clear explanation of the Tet Offensive within the context of American Foreign Policy and the course of the war.
-Brings together an examination of the military operations, the public reaction, and the political response to create a synthetic narrative.