In this re-examination of the Tet Offensive, Robbins analyzes the Tet battles and their impact through the themes of terrorism, war crimes, intelligence failure, troop surges, leadership breakdown, and media bias.

Vietnam, the limited war -- The war and public opinion -- The view from Hanoi -- The light at the end of the tunnel -- Code name: Buttercup -- Intelligence failure -- The embassy attack -- "The shot seen round the world" -- Assessing the broader offensive -- The battle of Hue -- Hue and My Lai -- Khe Sanh -- The Walter Cronkite moment -- Johnson surrenders -- Loan agonistes -- Tet's legacy.