The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure in War

by James J. Wirtz

Overview

In this account of one of the worst intelligence failures in American
history, James J. Wirtz explains why U.S. forces were surprised by the North Vietnamese Tet Offensive in 1968. Wirtz reconstructs the turning point of the Vietnam War in unprecedented detail. Drawing upon Vietcong and recently declassified U.S. sources, he is able to trace the strategy and unfolding of the Tet campaign as well as the U.S. response.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501713354
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	07/12/2013
Series:	Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Peter R. Lavoy is Director, Counterproliferation Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. Scott D. Sagan is Associate Professor of Political Science and Co-Director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, Stanford University. James J. Wirtz is Professor of National Security Affairs, Naval Postgraduate School and author of The Tet Offensive: Intelligence Failure in War, also from Cornell.

Table of Contents

IntroductionPART I: "THE BIG VICTORY, THE GREAT TASK"
1. The Communist Debate over Strategy
2. Preparations, and Objectives of the Tet OffensivePART II: THE ORIGINS OF SURPRISE
3. The Sources of American Biases
4. Missing the Signals: July–November 1967
5. Missing the Signals: December 1967–30 January 1968
6. Reacting to the Tet OffensiveConclusion: Explaining the Failure of IntelligenceBibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This excellently researched and written volume is a positive addition to our understanding of the event that marked the turning point in U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Military Review - John R. Finch

Wirtz provides a persuasive explanation for how the Vietnamese achieved surprise at Tet, even though the Americans had intelligence warning them of the attack. His book should be required reading for those interested in this key aspect of the Vietnam War and in the study of intelligence failures.

Journal of American History - Andrew F. Krepinevich

Wirtz analyzes both the North Vietnamese plans and the American effort to counter them in exquisite detail.... His book is a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Vietnam conflict and the pitfalls facing an intelligence effort to divine an enemy's plans.

Roger Hilsman

A fascinating book. Combining the disciplines of history and political science with insights from psychological theory, Wirtz has produced both a pathbreaking analysis and a cautionary tale.

Naval War College Review - Heath Twichell

A fascinating book. Combining the disciplines of history and political science with insights from psychological theory, Wirtz has produced both a pathbreaking analysis and a cautionary tale.

--Heath Twichell "Naval War College Review"

This excellently researched and written volume is a positive addition to our understanding of the event that marked the turning point in U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

--John R. Finch "Military Review"

Wirtz analyzes both the North Vietnamese plans and the American effort to counter them in exquisite detail.... His book is a valuable addition to our knowledge of the Vietnam conflict and the pitfalls facing an intelligence effort to divine an enemy's plans.

--Roger Hilsman "Political Science Quarterly"

Wirtz provides a persuasive explanation for how the Vietnamese achieved surprise at Tet, even though the Americans had intelligence warning them of the attack. His book should be required reading for those interested in this key aspect of the Vietnam War and in the study of intelligence failures.

--Andrew F. Krepinevich, Jr. "Journal of American History"

From the Publisher