Commander Urged Intensifying Vietnam Conflict : Gen. Westmoreland Wanted Shift in U.S. Attack Strategy After Tet

The North Vietnamese and Viet Cong Tet offensive 20 years ago could have been a turning point in favor of the United States had it changed its strategy to cross into Cambodia and Laos and to intensify the bombing of the north, says the general who commanded the American forces.

“In view of the politics involved and the mood of the country at the time, it turned out to be a turning point that influenced and was to the favor of the enemy,” said Gen. William C. Westmoreland, now 73 and retired in Charleston, S.C.

In a telephone interview marking the 20th anniversary of the Tet offensive of Jan. 31, 1968, Westmoreland said that the United States had made such progress in 1967 that the American people got the impression the war was about to end even though he never said that.

“When the Tet offensive took place,” he added, “it was so contrasting to the impression that had been given that there was considerable disillusionment.”

Queried Washington

Westmoreland sought permission from his superiors in Washington to allow U.S. forces to pursue the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese into Cambodia and Laos.

“This dramatic event could have been justification for a change in strategy,” Westmoreland said. He said the Viet Cong’s main force units were virtually destroyed and the North Vietnamese army took a terrible beating, suffering about 10 casualties for every American or South Vietnamese casualty.

“It took them about two years to recover,” he said. “While they were recovering, all they had to do was move into Cambodia and Laos and across the Demilitarized Zone (into North Vietnam) and nobody would bother them. With the new strategy, we’d (have) been in there chasing them and taking the fight to them.”

President Refused

President Lyndon B. Johnson turned down Westmoreland’s proposal because of the growing anti-war sentiment in the United States.

Westmoreland left Vietnam four months after Tet to become the Army’s chief of staff in Washington.

Westmoreland said U.S. intelligence knew that the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were going to attack in a number of places during the holiday but the offensive was greater than he expected. “We knew it was going to be something big, but it was far more ambitious than we expected because we didn’t think they would want to take the casualties.”

Many Troops on Leave

Despite the advance warnings, 50% of the South Vietnamese forces were on leave to be with their families for Tet, the most sacred and important of Vietnamese holidays.

Westmoreland said he tried to get President Nguyen Van Thieu of South Vietnam to cancel all leaves.

“He said he just couldn’t do it, Tet was so important. He felt the negative morale impact was a greater risk than the military risk. That is my assumption.”