The attitude of millions of Americans toward involvement in the war changed when they saw that the Vietcong were stronger and more numerous than Americans had been led to believe.
U.S. forces dealt the Vietcong a massive military loss and regained control of all areas that the Vietcong had attacked.
The strength shown by the Vietcong led millions of Americans to become more critical of Johnson and his handling of the war.
Vietcong casualties were very low, while American casualties were relatively high.
When
it was over, the Viet Cong basically ceased to be an effective force
any longer. Their ranks were decimated. All of the territory lost during
the offensive was shortly won back. But the ability of the Communists
to launch such a widespread coordinated offensive convinced the American
media and ultimately the American public that the war was now a lost
cause and demanded a withdrawal. So, tactically, it was a military
success for the U.S. but it served as a public relations success for
North Vietnam.
I believe the answer may be U.S. forces dealt the Vietcong a massive military loss and regained control of all areas that the Vietcong had attacked.
