The Gulf of Tonkin incident refers to two separate confrontations that occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam in August 1964 between American and North Vietnamese naval forces. The first incident on August 2, 1964, was a false report of an attack on a U.S. Navy destroyer USS Maddox by North Vietnamese patrol boats. The second incident on August 4, 1964, was another alleged attack on U.S. ships, which later turned out to be a misunderstanding.
Following these incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson sought and obtained congressional approval to escalate U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorized the president to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively gave President Johnson a blank check to escalate U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, leading to the massive buildup of American troops in the region and the start of a full-scale ground war. The resolution became the legal justification for the massive escalation of U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, leading to the Vietnam War.
However, in the years following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, it was revealed that the second attack reported on August 4, 1964, never actually happened, and the first attack on August 2, 1964, was likely significantly exaggerated. This revelation led to growing skepticism and criticism of the U.S. government's justification for escalating the war, and the incident has since become a symbol of the government's manipulation of public opinion to justify military intervention.
Gulf of tonikin incident and what became of it
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