The Relationship between the United States and the Netherlands in the Context of the  Tet Offensive

This paper seeks to contribute to the literature concerning the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands during the Vietnam War. Specifically, it examines government relations in the context of the Tet Offensive. The offensive had a transformative effect on American domestic politics, as Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek another term as President of the United States and because America decided to de-escalate the Vietnam War. As such, this paper explores how a combination of American foreign and domestic policy affects the relationship with the Netherlands. The majority of the existing literature is written in the 1980s and therefore, deserves an update. Moreover, current scholarship is predominantly focused on the domestic consequences for the Netherlands, and thus often falls short of describing the American perspective on the Vietnam War. This thesis sets itself apart by specifically examining the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands....Show moreThis paper seeks to contribute to the literature concerning the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands during the Vietnam War. Specifically, it examines government relations in the context of the Tet Offensive. The offensive had a transformative effect on American domestic politics, as Lyndon B. Johnson decided not to seek another term as President of the United States and because America decided to de-escalate the Vietnam War. As such, this paper explores how a combination of American foreign and domestic policy affects the relationship with the Netherlands. The majority of the existing literature is written in the 1980s and therefore, deserves an update. Moreover, current scholarship is predominantly focused on the domestic consequences for the Netherlands, and thus often falls short of describing the American perspective on the Vietnam War. This thesis sets itself apart by specifically examining the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. Through an extensive analysis of American, Dutch, and South Vietnamese sources this paper will argue that the direct consequences of the Tet Offensive did not significantly affect American-Dutch relations. However, indirect consequences, such as Johnson’s withdrawal from politics, de-escalation of the Vietnam War, and Vietnamisation of the conflict, substantially influenced the relationship between the United States and the Netherlands. Whilst relations between the two countries undoubtedly remained good, the context of the Tet Offensive serves to characterise changing dynamics with which policymaking took place, as the Netherlands took more initiative in maintaining its relationship with the United States.Show less

Leiden University Student Repository

Documents

In Collections

The Relationship between the United States and the Netherlands in the Context of the Tet Offensive