The Tet Offensive

The Tet Offensive was tactically a failure for the North, as they lost thousands of troops and failed to create a general uprising, but it was an outstanding psychological victory. By launching coordinated attacks on 100 cities, the North proved that they were nowhere near defeated. This sent a message to the American people that there was a "credibility gap"; despite years of involvement and high body counts, the enemy was nowhere near defeated, unlike what U.S. leaders were saying. This basically ended the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson and shifted the goal from winning the war to finding a way out.