>> normally casualties for the previous week are released on thursday, but fighting in the last week has been so bitter that military sources released the casualties unofficially today. 340 americans and 527 south vietnamese were killed last week. enemy dead were reported to be more than 5,000. there was some grumbling among numbers of young g.i.s taking part in the assaults, questioning whether the objective is worth the bloodshed. >> out here in this very difficult war, i think history will report this may have been one of america's finest hours because we took a difficult task, and we succeeded. you're doing your job. and i can assure you we're going to try to do ours to see that you didn't fight in vain. thank you very much. >> nixon did not want to be the first president of the united states to lose a war. it was a matter of personal pride with him. >> his basic goal was to end the war as quickly as possible but on honorable terms that would