We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. What were the key events in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident? Omissions? And why were highly skilled seamen and technicians from the Norwegian Navy involved. On the evening of July 30-31, South Vietnamese commandos attacked two North Vietnamese islands near where. A. What are the main structures of the systemic system? What should have stood out to the U.S. leadership collecting all the data of these attacks was that, with the exception of the battle report, no other SIGINT "chatter" was detected during the attacks on 4 August. In fact, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, as it became known, turned out to be a fictitious creation courtesy of the government to escalate war in Vietnam leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of U.S. troops and millions of Vietnamese, fomenting the largest anti-war movement in American history, and tarnishing . Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president later that day. All of his policy decisions, foreign and domestic, were considered through the prism of the November vote. Naval Academy. Quoted in Dale Andrade and Kenneth Conboy, "The Secret Side of the Tonkin Gulf Incident," Naval History, 13:4, July/August 1999, pp. Although the raid was successful (the oil depot was completely destroyed and 33 of 35 vessels were hit), two American aircraft were shot down; one pilot was killed and the second captured.20, On 7 August, Congress, with near unanimity, approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which President Johnson signed into law three days later. Edwin E. Mose, Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1996), pp. President Jonson took these claims to Congress which subsequently passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. An intercepted SIGINT message, apparently from one of the patrol boats, reported: "Shot down two planes in the battle area. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, president Johnson acted before all the facts became known. Initial successes, however, were limited; numerous South Vietnamese raiders were captured, and OPLAN 34A units suffered heavy casualties. The first incident took place on August 2 . However the human race LOVEs . Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara, directed by Errol Morris, Sony Pictures, 2003. You must include thesis statement, 4 body paragraphs and other reading and a conclusion to wrap up your debate More and more saw poverty from the failure of individuals to take full advantage of the American system. not to seek his party's nomination as the presidential candidate. The destroyer was retiring to the south. In July 1964, Lieutenant General William C. Westmoreland, commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, shifted the operation's tactics from commando attacks on land to shore bombardments using mortars, rockets, and recoilless rifles fired from South Vietnamese patrol boats.1, The U.S. Navy, meanwhile, had been conducting occasional reconnaissance and SIGINT-gathering missions farther offshore in the Tonkin Gulf. For most of the last five decades, it has been assumed that the Tonkin Gulf incident was a deception by Lyndon Johnson to justify war in Vietnam. Operations carried during peace-time by civilian organisation, as well as covert government agencies, may by extension be called false flag operations if they seek to hide the real organisation behind an operation. Weather conditions were clear, and seas were calm. When asked by a reporter if he knew of any confrontations between the South and North Vietnamese navies, he responded: "No, none that I know of. A joint resolution of Congress dated August 7, 1964, gave the president authority to increase U.S. involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam and served as the legal basis for escalations in the Johnson and Nixon administrations that likely dwarfed what most Americans could have imagined in August 1964. The Maddox fired at the torpedo boats, which fired back. Explanation: President Lyndon Johnson utilized the Gulf of Tonkin occurrence to enlarge the war. There is no doubting that fact. C. It showed the willingness of North Vietnam to make peace. Originally, it was claimed by the National Security Agency that the North Vietnamese Navy fired torpedo boats towards the USS Maddox on August 4, 1964. Several years later, as the American public became increasingly disillusioned with the Vietnam War, many congressmen came to see the resolution as giving the president a blanket power to wage war, and the resolution was repealed in 1970. What was the primary political issue that Carter used in his presidential campaign? The South Vietnameseconducted OPLAN 34A raids and the U.S. Navy's Desoto patrols could be perceived as collaborative efforts against North Vietnamese targets. Paragraph 14, 15 Richard Nixon, quoted in Walter Isaacson, Kissinger: A Biography (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005 . What is the Gulf of Tonkin incident and why is it controversial? 1. McNamara instead declared that "our Navy played absolutely no part in, was not associated with, was not aware of, any South Vietnamese actions, if there were any. The Gulf Tonkin Incidents were the pretext for President Johnson to create and ultimately pass the Gulf Tonkin Resolution, which ultimately allowed the US to escalate the Vietnam War (also known as the Second Indochina War) into a large-scale war. McNamara was informed of this doubt but decided to remain quiet because Pierce-Arrow was already in motion. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched Americas full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? Did the North Vietnamese actually attack US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin? However, the initial incidents have stirred up great controversy given the varying accounts of the A. C'estr difficile pour nous de changr nos modes de vie. McMasters, Dereliction of Duty, p. 108. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Hanyok conducted a comprehensive analysis of SIGINT records from the nights of the attacks and concluded that there was indeed an attack on 2 August but the attack on the 4th did not occur, despite claims to the contrary by President Johnson and Secretary McNamara. The opinions expressed within the documents in both releases are those of the authors and individuals interviewed. The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. It was the beginning of the United States air assault against North Vietnam that lasted until the end of the war. Sharp admitted that there was a "slight possibility" because of freak radar echoes, inexperienced sonarmen, and no visual sightings of torpedo wakes. After missions in December 1962 and April of the next year, patrols were scheduled for 1964 in the vicinity of OPLAN 34A raids. He sent a flash (highest priority) message to Honolulu, which was received in Washington at 1327 on 4 August, declaring his doubts: "Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful. Messages declassified in 2005 and recently released tapes from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library reveal confusion among the leadership in Washington. Documents and tapes released in 2005 and 2006 provided new insights into the 2 August 1964 attack on the USS Maddox (DD-731) by three North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats (above) and established that there was no follow-up attack against the destroyer, along with the USS Turner Joy (DD-951), on the night of 4 August. He is currently assigned as the Andean Ridge and Southern Cone Desk officer at U.S. A myriad of issues confronted the new president, not the least of which was the ongoing crisis in Vietnam. The papers, more than 140 of them classified top secret, include phone transcripts, oral-history interviews, signals intelligence (SIGINT) messages, and chronologies of the Tonkin events developed by Department of Defense and NSA officials. Analyze the effects of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution passed under the Lyndon Johnson administration during the Vietnam War, Learn about some key points on the Gulf of Tonkin incident leading to the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, 1964, https://www.britannica.com/event/Gulf-of-Tonkin-incident, HistoryNet - Gulf of Tonkin Incident: Reappraisal 40 Years Later, U.S. Department of State - Office of the Historian - U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War: The Gulf of Tonkin and Escalation, 1964. The events led to Congress passing the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed the president to increase U.S. involvement in Vietnam without Congressional approval. Updates? Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and President Johnson were both convinced of the reality of the second attack, however, and thus they asked Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. www.WhiteHouseTapes.org. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. It was probably his kid, so history has been mad at the wrong person all along. She recruited other Unionists, including government clerks On August 2nd, 1964, the USS Maddox destroyer was supposedly conducting reconnaissance in the Gulf of Tonkin when fired upon by North Vietnamese forces in Swatow gunboats. The attacks were unprovoked. Executive Sessions of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Historical Series, version XVI, Washington: Government Printing Office, 1988, p. 293. The attacks were unprovoked. 8. 1 See answer Advertisement mahak08 Reply. The witness was asked to __________ a statement she made that did not seem to ________with her earlier testimony. Crazy. The two lead boats maneuvered evasively but were nevertheless heavily damaged. In my account of the Biden Administrations decision to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, why did much of the secret planning and training for the operation take place in Norway? Seventh Fleet and that led to the Gulf of Tonkin. Johnson, leaning heavily on the same team of advisors that Kennedy had appointed, did not approve of the troop build-up that many were calling for, but kept the increase of American personnel relatively modest. The featured story comes from the Counter Currents website and was titled: Covert Operations In Continue reading Quoted in Robert Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds, and the Flying Fish: The Gulf of Tonkin Mystery, 24 August 1964," Cryptological Quarterly, Winter 2000/Spring 2001, p. 6. Resulted from a minor naval conflict c. The Johnson administration distorted the incident to provide a pretext for escalating American involvement in Vietnam d. a woman's right to choose in the first trimester. All of the following are true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the ensuing resolution EXCEPT Served as justification for the assassination of Ngo Diem Resulted from a minor naval conflict The Johnson administration distorted the incident to provide a pretext for escalating American involvement in Vietnam In making your definition, discuss and highlight what you think is the most B. Confederate leaders' households. Still other targets appeared from the east, mimicking attacking profiles of torpedo boats. The Maddox and Turner Joy moved out to sea, but both reported that they were tracking multiple unidentified vessels approaching their positions. In his award-winning 2003 video memoirs Fog of War, he remained unapologetic and even bragged of his ability to deceive: "I learned early on never answer the question that is asked of you. In reality, McNamara knew full well that the 34A attacks had probably provoked the 2 August attacks on the Maddox. 2. 5. McNamara again eluded the question, "They have advanced closer and closer to the 17th parallel, and in some cases, I think they have moved beyond that in an effort to stop the infiltration closer to the point of origin."26. It covers everything. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. False reports were also presented, and the president didn't know about them. 16, No. Finally, as part of his strategy to aid South Vietnam without sending in high numbers of troops, Johnson approved more covert operations against North Vietnam. After receiving information that there was an unprovoked attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, the United States entered the Vietnam War on August 14, 1964. On the morning of 4 August, U.S. intelligence intercepted a report indicating that the communists intended to conduct offensive maritime operations in the Gulf of Tonkin. (Wikimedia Commons) F ifty-one years ago today, the United States . Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. By 1 August, the destroyer had returned to the area and was back on patrol. With the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the United States committed its full strength to the conflict. Was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident true? Johnson and his advisers had approved retaliatory strikes on North Vietnamese naval bases as soon as the reports of the apparent attack of August 4 came in. The military build-up that had been piecemeal would rise in earnest over the next four years and impact a generation for decades to come. A myriad of issues confronted the new president, not the least of which was the ongoing crisis in Vietnam. Corrections? Titled "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds, and the Flying Fish: The Gulf of Tonkin Mystery, 2-4 August 1964," it had been published in the classified Cryptological Quarterly in early 2001. Historians still disagree over whether Johnson deliberately misled Congress and the American people about the Tonkin Gulf incident or simply capitalized on an opportunity that came his way. The event led the U.S. to believe that North Vietnam was targeting its intelligence-gathering mission, and therefore the Turner Joy was sent to reinforce the Maddox. By the night of August 4, the U.S. military had intercepted North Vietnamese communications that led officials to believe that a North Vietnamese attack on its destroyers was being planned. The destroyers were sent to the area in 1964 in order to conduct reconnaissance and to intercept North Vietnamese communications in support of South Vietnamese war efforts. Yes it happened. 7. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 47. The following night, August 3 three more MACV-SOG vessels attacked targets on the mainland of North Vietnam. New York: Oxford Press, 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident, https://dailyhistory.org/index.php?title=Was_the_Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident_staged&oldid=23951. money and clothing The Kerner Commission explained urban riots as the result of which of the following, Black frustration with the hopelessness of urban poverty, The Stonewall incident that catalyzed the gay rights movement occurred when __________, Bar patrons in New York City protested a police raid. . (20) The more astute cardboard-roll hangers wait until they have been placed in the closet, out of view, before they collapse. War is an enemy of all the humanity and human civilization. 8. Ill give more brainly points, Which statement best illustrates how Elizabeth Van Lew was able to organize Stanley Karnow, Vietnam: A History (New York: Penguin Books, 1983) p. 372. As far as Vietnam was concerned, Johnson tried, and largely succeeded, balancing support for the US allies in the south but not committing too many resources, especially soldiers, to the fight in Asia. Next, the best we have as Robert McNamara deemed him, General William Westmoreland was appointed the commander of operations in Vietnam in April of 1964. But it wasn't true. Gulf of Tonkin incident, complex naval event in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of Vietnam, that was presented to the U.S. Congress on August 5, 1964, as two unprovoked attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy of the U.S. The North Vietnamese boats attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire. "19 Despite his reservations, Stockdale led a strike of 18 aircraft against an oil storage facility at Vinh, located just inland of where the alleged attacks on the Maddox and Turner Joy had occurred. Three days following the incident, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving the President wide latitude in conducting military operations in Vietnam, and Johnson signed it into law on the 10th.Lyndon Baines Johnson Library, Subsequently, Secretary McNamara intentionally misled Congress and the public about his knowledge of and the nature of the 34A operations, which surely would have been perceived as the actual cause for the 2 August attack on the Maddox and the apparent attack on the 4th. At the same time, two other South Vietnamese commando boats carried out a similar attack against Hon Ngu Island, more than 25 miles to the south.4. These new documents and tapes reveal what historians could not prove: There was not a second attack on U.S. Navy ships in the Tonkin Gulf in early August 1964. 2. Three days earlier he had told the President that some of the raids had led to the 2 August attack on the Maddox.U.S. 18. OD. Those communications most likely referred to operations to salvage the torpedo boat that had been damaged in the earlier firefight. The encounter sparked the first open fighting between the United States and North Vietnam, the first U.S. bombing of the North and an intensification of U.S. support for South Vietnam. Furthermore, the evidence suggests a disturbing and deliberate attempt by Secretary of Defense McNamara to distort the evidence and mislead Congress. The Maddox, with its superior firepower and better defenses easily thwarted the attack. . Examine the Tonkin Gulf Resolution which granted president Lyndon Johnson power to make war, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Gulf-of-Tonkin-Resolution, The History Learning Site - Gulf of Tonkin 1964, Ohio History Central - Gulf of Tonkin Incident. . Calls between the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the National Military Command Center; headquarters of the Commander in Chief, Pacific; and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were frequently exchanged during the phantom battle. Paula March 1, 2023 at 16:24 . Selon Yann Arthus-Bertrand (17) One particularly devilish species of hanger is the one with the whitecardboardroll-on\underline{\text{white cardboard roll-on}}whitecardboardroll-on the bottom for hanging slacks without producing a fold mark. No, that's not true. The Maddox called in air support from a nearby carrier, the Ticonderoga. But no declassified information had suggested that McNamara, Johnson, or anyone else in the decision-making process had intentionally misinterpreted the intelligence concerning the 4 August incident. As the battle continued, he realized the "attacks" were actually the results of "overeager sonar operators" and poor equipment performance. The next day, the Maddox resumed her Desoto patrol, and, to demonstrate American resolve and the right to navigate in international waters, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the USS Turner Joy (DD-951) to join the first destroyer on patrol off the North Vietnamese coast. OPEC's embargo of oil exports to the United States in retaliation for American intervention in the Middle East. In addition, even though the losses from bombing could and usually were significant, the North Vietnamese often gained a morale boost when they would shoot an American bomber out of the sky. Interpreting this as an act of North Vietnamese aggression, the US government responded by ordering greater military involvement in Vietnam. Both houses of Congress passed the resolution on August 7, the House of Representatives by 414 votes to nil, and the Senate by a vote of 88 to 2. CINCPACFLT 140203ZJuly64. [T]hey operate on their own. This time, however, President Johnson reacted much more skeptically and . Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched America's full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was a false flag operation organized by the secret services of the United States, to be used as a pretext in their participation in the Vietnam War; this simulated a false attack by North Vietnamese forces against United States Navy ships in Southeast Asia, which had penetrated waters that the United States claimed as Answer the question that you wish had been asked of you. External sources are not required for the short papers. In Hawaii, Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral U. S. Grant Sharp was receiving Captain Herrick's reports by flash message traffic, not voice reports. New York, Columbia University Press, 2011. Opposed Vietnamese independence and supported French attempts to retain its colonial control The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allowed for the president to send combat troops to Vietnam. 20. All of the following are true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the ensuing resolution EXCEPT, Served as justification for the assassination of Ngo Diem, U.S. troops massacred hundreds of civilians, In the 1968 election, Lyndon Johnson decided. 1 What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? The Maddox, however, was not. There were a number of key events in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident: The USS Maddox was sent to support the South Vietnamese mercenaries. She recruited volunteers from among the Union prisoners held at Nevertheless, when later queried by NSA headquarters, the destroyer indicated she had been unaware of the OPLAN raid on the island.5 That ignorance set the stage for a showdown between North Vietnamese forces and the U.S. Navy eavesdropping platform. Captain Herrick also began to have doubts about the attack. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 25. The truth was very different. Answer: Gulf of Tonkin incident, complex naval event in the Gulf of Tonkin, off the coast of Vietnam, that was presented to the U.S. Congress on August 5, 1964, as two unprovoked attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the destroyers Maddox and Turner Joy of the U.S. Critique does not simply mean Deptartment of State Bulletin, 24 August 1964: 558. On August 2, it was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Answers: 3. On 2 August 1964, North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats attacked the USS Maddox (DD-731) while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964.