Herblock knew that the American military was in trouble in 1967 when he drew this cartoon, held back until the day after the Tet Offensive of January 31, 1968. Although the military reputation of the United States had been battered, Block implies that the North Vietnamese had not affected propaganda. While Tet was ultimately a military disaster for the North Vietnamese forces, it undermined American confidence in the ability of the United States to win the war.