Tonkin Gulf
In what ways was the Gulf of Tonkin incident, 1964, a turning point in the Vietnam War?
Thanks for all who help me. I'm not looking for a huge amount of info, just enough to cover 10-15 lines, while making at least some reference to the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.
It was a dark and stormy night. Two US destroyers the Turner Joy and Maddox were off the North Vietnamese coast actively gathering intelligence. Suddenly North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the Maddox. This was on August 2, 1964. Two nights later, the Turner Joy as also attacked.
On August 5th President Johnson addressed Congress on the incidents and on August 7th Congress pass the joint "Tonkin Gulf Resolution." The vote was 88-2, in the Senate.
The resolution was used by Johnson not to just retaliate for the attacked but to increase the American involvement in the Vietnam War. "According to McNamara, herein lies the significance of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution: "The fundamental issue of Tonkin Gulf involves not deception, but rather, misuse of power bestowed by the resolution. The language of the resolution plainly granted the powers the President subsequently used and Congress understood the breadth of those powers....But no doubt exists that Congress did not intend to authorize, without further, full consultation, the expansion of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 16,000 to 550,000 men, initiating large scale combat operations with the risk of an expanded war with China and the Soviet Union, and extending U.S. involvement in Vietnam for many years to come."
http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/54/106.html
In short, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was used to commit America to war. Previously, America's support to South Vietnam had been in the form of aid and advisors.. Now, ground troops were deployed and air strikes against the North were conducted.
What has come out is that the "attacks" were misreading of radar, the sighting of patrol boats with the Maddox firing warning shots on August 2ed. The Maddox likely suffered no attack on August 4th. There has been no confirmation that the North Vietnamese conducted any offensive attacks (ie launched a deliberate attack). Maddox was hit by a single 4.5-millimeter machine gun bullet, this being defensive or offensive fire is not known.
Both ships were part of Operation DeSoto. The "DeSoto patrols were U.S. naval intelligence collection operations using specially equipped vessels to gather electronic signals intelligence from shore-and island-based noncommunications emitters in North Vietnam.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3810724
In short, at the time the resolution was passed, a great deal of information was missing. There has been evidence presented that the Johnson Administration had been seeking an incident to justify greater American involvement in the war.
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution gave President Johnson the power to "to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force" This he did leading to many more years of fighting.
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