a jernigan

2

Proposal for Final Research Paper

Angela Jernigan

APUS

October 1, 2026

Proposal for Final Research Paper

Topic Overview and Thesis

In this research paper, I will explore the controversy surrounding the Tet Offensive of 1968 during the Vietnam War, which includes how the American and Vietnamese interpretation of the event helped form people’s perceptions about the key moment of the war. Thesis statement: Although the Tet Offensive was a tactical loss for the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong forces, the strategic and psychological implications of the event have effectively destroyed American domestic support for the war.

Historiographical Approach

According to Dr. Mark Bowles (n.d) in his lecture “What is Historiography?”, history describes the event itself whereas historiography focuses on the analysis of the interpretation of the event over the course of time. In this paper, we will be tackling our topic from the perspective of historiography by showing changing interpretations of the event Tet, from the early accounts of victory on the battlefield written in U.S. military documents; then from the “credibility gap” portrayed in contemporary journalism during the actual occurrence of Tet; from the later interpretations made in the 1980s-1990s period wherein Tet became an offense where the Communists failed; and finally the latest interpretations made by transnational historians using Vietnamese firsthand accounts.

Primary Sources

· Westmoreland, William C. A Soldier Reports (1976).

· Cronkite, Walter. CBS Evening News broadcast, 27 February 1968.

· Vietnamese People’s Army Official History of the Tet Offensive (English translation excerpts).

· Johnson, Lyndon B. Presidential press conference transcripts, January–March 1968.

Secondary Sources

· GISZCZAK, R. (2001). AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR. THE UNITED STATES IN VIETNAM 1950–1975 by George C. HERRING. John Wiley & Sons, 1979. https://www.ur.edu.pl/files/ur/import/Import/2012/5/sar_v2_20.pdf

· Karnow, S. (1994). Vietnam: A history (Vol. 122). Random House.

· Hunt, M. H. (2011). Lyndon Johnson's war: America's cold war crusade in Vietnam, 1945-1968. Hill and Wang. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Sqjg13HTtbUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP9&dq=%E2%80%A2%09Hunt,+Michael+H.+Lyndon+Johnson%E2%80%99s+War+(1996).++&ots=P7IGkP8R5W&sig=jEJ7EBeVBltYyc_K6abz2kFQyvM

· Elliott, D. W. (2003). The Vietnamese War. Sharpe.

· Brigham, R. K. (2020). ARVN: Life and death in the South Vietnamese army. University Press of Kansas. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=C-aiEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=%E2%80%A2%09Brigham,+Robert+K.+ARVN:+Life+and+Death+in+the+South+Vietnamese+Army+(2006).&ots=GlKfWScqJu&sig=eEl7D2r-dugOvHjqO47QjrpaYL8

2

Proposal for Final Research Paper

Angela Jernigan

APUS

October 1, 2026

Proposal for Final Research Paper

Topic Overview and Thesis

In this research paper, I will explore the controversy surrounding the Tet Offensive of 1968 during the Vietnam War, which includes how the American and Vietnamese interpretation of the event helped form people’s perceptions about the key moment of the war. Thesis statement: Although the Tet Offensive was a tactical loss for the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong forces, the strategic and psychological implications of the event have effectively destroyed American domestic support for the war.

Historiographical Approach

According to Dr. Mark Bowles (n.d) in his lecture “What is Historiography?”, history describes the event itself whereas historiography focuses on the analysis of the interpretation of the event over the course of time. In this paper, we will be tackling our topic from the perspective of historiography by showing changing interpretations of the event Tet, from the early accounts of victory on the battlefield written in U.S. military documents; then from the “credibility gap” portrayed in contemporary journalism during the actual occurrence of Tet; from the later interpretations made in the 1980s-1990s period wherein Tet became an offense where the Communists failed; and finally the latest interpretations made by transnational historians using Vietnamese firsthand accounts.

Primary Sources

· Westmoreland, William C. A Soldier Reports (1976).

· Cronkite, Walter. CBS Evening News broadcast, 27 February 1968.

· Vietnamese People’s Army Official History of the Tet Offensive (English translation excerpts).

· Johnson, Lyndon B. Presidential press conference transcripts, January–March 1968.

Secondary Sources

· GISZCZAK, R. (2001). AMERICA’S LONGEST WAR. THE UNITED STATES IN VIETNAM 1950–1975 by George C. HERRING. John Wiley & Sons, 1979. https://www.ur.edu.pl/files/ur/import/Import/2012/5/sar_v2_20.pdf

· Karnow, S. (1994). Vietnam: A history (Vol. 122). Random House.

· Hunt, M. H. (2011). Lyndon Johnson's war: America's cold war crusade in Vietnam, 1945-1968. Hill and Wang. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Sqjg13HTtbUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP9&dq=%E2%80%A2%09Hunt,+Michael+H.+Lyndon+Johnson%E2%80%99s+War+(1996).++&ots=P7IGkP8R5W&sig=jEJ7EBeVBltYyc_K6abz2kFQyvM

· Elliott, D. W. (2003). The Vietnamese War. Sharpe.

· Brigham, R. K. (2020). ARVN: Life and death in the South Vietnamese army. University Press of Kansas. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=C-aiEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR9&dq=%E2%80%A2%09Brigham,+Robert+K.+ARVN:+Life+and+Death+in+the+South+Vietnamese+Army+(2006).&ots=GlKfWScqJu&sig=eEl7D2r-dugOvHjqO47QjrpaYL8