February 27, 1968 –
CBS News anchorman Walter Cronkite’s commentary on the progress of the Vietnam War solidified President Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision not to seek reelection in 1968. Cronkite, who had been at Hue in the midst of the Tet Offensive earlier in February, said: “Who won and who lost in the great Tet Offensive against the cities? I m not sure.” He concluded: “It is increasingly clear to this reporter that the only rational way out…will be to negotiate, not as victors but as an honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could.“
Johnson called the commentary a turning point, saying that if he had “lost Cronkite,” he’d “lost Mr. Average Citizen.” On March 31, President Johnson announced he would not seek reelection.
And so it goes
The Haus of Dcaligari 