Architect of the Easter Offensive: Le Duan (pronounced lay zwan), born in 1907, joined Ho Chi Minh’s Revolutionary Youth League in 1928 and maneuvered through the ranks of the communist movement to become in 1960 the first secretary of the Vietnamese Workers (Communist) Party, a position Ho had occupied since 1956. Ho remained party chairman, a higher position he had held since 1951, but Ho’s failing health enabled Le Duan to increase his power, made complete with Ho’s death in 1969. Le Duan died in office in 1986. (Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Sovfoto/Universal Images Group via Getty Images