▁known ▁as ▁" the ▁W ise ▁Men ": ▁Dean ▁A ches on , ▁Gen . ▁O mar ▁Brad ley , ▁George ▁Ball , ▁Mac ▁Bund y , ▁Arthur ▁Dean , ▁Douglas ▁D illon , ▁A be ▁Fort as , ▁A ver ell ▁Harr iman , ▁Henry ▁Cab ot ▁L odge , ▁Robert ▁Mur phy ▁and ▁Max ▁Taylor . ▁They ▁un anim ously ▁opposed ▁leaving ▁Vietnam , ▁and ▁encourag ed ▁Johnson ▁to ▁" st ay ▁the ▁course ." ▁After ward , ▁on ▁November ▁ 1 7 , ▁in ▁a ▁nation ally ▁tele vised ▁address , ▁the ▁president ▁assured ▁the ▁American ▁public , ▁" We ▁are ▁inf lic ting ▁greater ▁losses ▁than ▁we ' re ▁taking ... We ▁are ▁making ▁progress ." ▁Less ▁than ▁two ▁weeks ▁later , ▁an ▁emot ional ▁Robert ▁Mc N am ara ▁announced ▁his ▁res ignation ▁as ▁Def ense ▁Secretary . ▁Be hind ▁closed ▁doors , ▁he ▁had ▁begun ▁regularly ▁express ing ▁doub ts ▁over ▁Johnson ' s ▁war ▁strategy , ▁anger ing ▁the ▁president . ▁He ▁joined ▁a ▁growing ▁list ▁of ▁Johnson ' s ▁top ▁a ides ▁who ▁res igned ▁over ▁the ▁war , ▁including ▁Bill ▁Mo y ers , ▁Mc Ge orge ▁Bund y , ▁and ▁George ▁Ball . ▁ ▁On ▁January ▁ 3 0 , ▁ 1 9 6 8 , ▁the ▁V iet ▁Cong ▁and ▁the ▁North ▁Vietnam ese ▁began ▁the ▁T et ▁off ensive ▁against ▁South ▁Vietnam ' s ▁five ▁largest ▁cities . ▁While ▁the ▁T et ▁off ensive ▁failed ▁militar ily , ▁it ▁was ▁a