what was true about the gulf of tonkin incident

The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. Combined with recently declassified tapes of phone calls from White House officials involved with the events and previously uncovered facts about Tonkin, these documents provide compelling evidence about the subsequent decisions that led to the full commitment of U.S. armed forces to the Vietnam War. What is the importance of the Gulf on Tonkin? . It's true. Funny how no one mentions the fact the Gulf Of Tonkin incident, the false flag event that 'justified' the Vietnam war. From the point of view of the Maddox, the attack had been unprovoked, though North Vietnam was under the impression that the Maddox had been involved in the raids on Hon Me and Hon Ngu islands. Unbelievable, but true. . 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. Gulf of Tonkin incident The Gulf of Tonkin incident was a 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 fictitious Gulf of Tonkin incident helped draw the United States deeper into the Vietnam War. 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. The superiors and subordinates of fbl inc., a swedish . 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 . . by John Prados. 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. For more than 90 minutes, he made runs parallel to the ships' course and at low altitude (below 2,000 feet) looking for the enemy vessels. Updates? Jim and Sybil Stockdale, In Love and War (New York: Harper and Row, 1984), p. 23. 11. At roughly the same time, the USS Maddox engaged in electronic surveillance also in the Gulf. In exchange for Lee's surrender, Grant offered 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. The US has form for this kind of "fabricated" naval incident (see 2 and 3 above) say theorists, referring back to the second Tonkin Gulf incident in which the US is alleged to have faked a naval clash with the North Vietnamese navy. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? . Re-engaging, the first PT boat launched a second torpedo and opened fire with her 14.5-mm guns, but Maddox shell fire heavily damaged the vessel.6. 5-8; Andrade and Conboy, "The Secret Side.". The Gulf of Tonkin Incident was a pair of alleged attacks by North Vietnamese gunboats on two American destroyers in August of 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was also called USS Maddox incident. But once-classified documents and tapes released in the past several years, combined with previously uncovered facts, make clear that high government officials distorted facts and deceived the American public about events that led to full . 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. The two lead boats maneuvered evasively but were nevertheless heavily damaged. By 0127 on 5 August, hours after the "attacks" had occurred, Herrick had queried his crew and reviewed the preceding hours' events. The North Vietnamese were oblivious to the confusion it would generate. After this was reported to Washington, Robert McNamara urged President Johnson to retaliate. It showed the military superiority of the South Vietnamese. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 24. 132 (01 Dec 2005). The order to retaliate was given less than thirty minutes after the initial report. So the Gulf of Tonkin incident was staged claiming that . A. ed. B. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Facts - 14: Captain John J. Herrick sent a message that raised doubts about the August 4 incident which said, "Review of action makes reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful.Freak weather reports and over-eager sonar men may have accounted for many reports. It was certainly convenient as a reason for expanding American involvement in the Vietnam War. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. That night proved to be a stormy one. President Johnson signed it on August 10, giving the executive far greater power to conduct military operations, without a declaration of war, than had ever been granted before. Seventh Fleet and that led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which allowed President Lyndon B. Johnson to greatly escalate U.S. military involvement in the Vietnam War. It was passed on August 7, 1964, by the U.S. Congress after an alleged attack on two U.S. naval destroyers stationed off the coast of Vietnam. Answer. The Mysteries of Tonkin Gulf. Commissioned in 1959, she spent her entire career in the Pacific. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 13. . One of the pilots, Navy Commander James Stockdale, commanding officer of VF-51, recalled that they passed over the unscathed Maddox at 1530, minutes after the 22-minute surface engagement had ended. In fact, one of the patrols' main missions was to gather information that would be useful to the raiders.2 A top-secret document declassified in 2005 revealed the standing orders to the Desoto patrols: "[L]ocate and identify all coastal radar transmitters, note all navigation aids along the DVR's [Democratic Republic of Vietnam's] coastline, and monitor the Vietnamese junk fleet for a possible connection to DRV/Viet Cong maritime supply and infiltration routes."3. They used a questionable report of a North Vietnamese attack on American naval vessels to justify the president's policy to the electorate and to defuse Republican senator and presidential candidate Barry Goldwater's charges that Lyndon Johnson was irresolute and "soft" in the foreign policy arena.30, For his part, McNamara never admitted his mistakes. In the meantime, as a demonstration of presence and power, The Maddox was joined by the USS Turner Joy. And quite frankly, I follow that rule. On an audio tape from the Johnson Library declassified in December 2005, he admitted to the President the morning after the attacks that the two events were almost certainly connected: And I think I should also, or we should also at that time, Mr. President, explain this OPLAN 34-A, these covert operations. Aware of North Vietnamese intent from the earlier SIGINT message, Captain Herrick ordered gun crews to open fire if the fast-approaching trio closed to within 10,000 yards of the destroyer, and at about 1505 three 5-inch shots were fired across the bow of the closest boat. 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 destroyer was retiring to the south. 2. Nearly 200 documents the National Security Agency (NSA) declassified and released in 2005 and 2006, however, have helped shed light on what transpired in the Gulf of Tonkin on 4 August. 25. By Lieutenant Commander Pat Paterson, U.S. Navy, Lieutenant Commander Pat Paterson, U.S. Navy. 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. 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. She recruited other Unionists, including government clerks McNamara was informed of this doubt but decided to remain quiet because Pierce-Arrow was already in motion. Why the Gulf of Tonkin Matters 50 Years Later (1/2) Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg and historian Gareth Porter discuss how the Gulf of Tonkin incident was used to further entangle . . 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. 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. Ill give more brainly points, Which statement best illustrates how Elizabeth Van Lew was able to organize Reply. CINCPACFLT 140203ZJuly64. At present cannot even estimate number of boats involved. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in 1964, was a major turning point in United States military involvement in Vietnam. 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. Gunfire and torpedoes were exchanged while F-8 fighters from USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) raced to the scene. More than 40 years after the events, that all changed with the release of the nearly 200 documents related to the Gulf of Tonkin incident and transcripts from the Johnson Library. Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president later that day. The police used tear gas and billy clubs against anti-war protesters, and members of the New Left and the black power movement who were demonstrating outside the convention. Probably the best one LBJ ever came up with and certainly his most everlastingly devastating was, "We were attacked [in the Gulf of Tonkin]." In August of 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson needed a pretext to commit the American people to the expanding covert war in south East Asia. Still other targets appeared from the east, mimicking attacking profiles of torpedo boats. On 2nd August, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats travelled towards the Maddox. In the ensuing firefight, one of the torpedo boats was badly damaged, but the Maddox escaped harm. CTG 72.1 041848ZAUG64. All of the following are true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the ensuing resolution EXCEPT a. Please. (21) This ensures that they carry out that prime directive of all hangers-to render the clothing wrinkled and unfit for wearing in public. He is currently assigned as the Andean Ridge and Southern Cone Desk officer at U.S. Vietnam was 12 hours ahead of Washington time, so the "attacks" in the evening of 4 August in the Gulf of Tonkin were being monitored in Washington late that morning. Confederate leaders' households. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, president Johnson acted before all the facts became known. External sources are not required for the short papers. Cover-Up Worse Than Crime: Silence Around Hersh's Bombshell & Ominous Gulf of Tonkin Parallels. What was true about the gulf tonkin incident? On 28 July, the Maddox sortied from Taiwan en route to her Desoto patrol station. Three patrol craft attacked a security garrison at Cua Ron (the mouth of the Ron River) and a radar site at Vinh Son, firing 770 rounds of high-explosive munitions at the targets.8 North Vietnamese installations had been attacked four separate times in five days. Answer (1 of 8): Yes. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. At the 1968 Democratic National Convention. 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. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Pat Bauer graduated from Ripon College in 1977 with a double major in Spanish and Theatre. 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. The Columbia History of the Vietnam War. In early August 1964, Johnsons and McNamaras zeal for aggressive action in Southeast Asia led to full U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, which cost the lives of more than 58,000 American service men and women.Lyndon Baines Johnson Library. Paragraph 14, 15 Richard Nixon, quoted in Walter Isaacson, Kissinger: A Biography (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005 . 2. The National Security Agency originally claimed that another sea battle, the Second Gulf of Tonkin incident, occurred on August 4, 1964, but instead evidence was found of "Tonkin ghosts" (false radar images) and not actual North Vietnamese torpedo boats. The following night, August 3 three more MACV-SOG vessels attacked targets on the mainland of North Vietnam. the attack is a signal to us that the North Vietnamese have the will and determination to continue the war. The Maddox, on patrol in the area but probably unaware of the raids that had taken place, observed torpedo boats sent out in pursuit of the South Vietnamese vessels and thus withdrew, but it returned on August 1. President Johnson acted before all the facts became known. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution or the Southeast Asia Resolution, Pub. He reported later, "I had the best seat in the house to watch that event and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targetsthere were no PT boats there . The United States denied involvement. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Served as justification for the assassination of Ngo Diem b. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? 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. When his wingman's aircraft developed trouble, Stockdale got permission to launch solo from the Ticonderoga. 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. Omissions? On the afternoon of August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats clashed with the American destroyer Maddox (DD-731) patrolling the coast. . It's a very good rule."31. The Maddox nevertheless reported at 2040 that she was tracking unidentified vessels. But the reports were false and the president knew it. All of the following are true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the ensuing resolution EXCEPT c. The Johnson administration distorted the incident to provide a pretext for escalating American involvement in Vietnam 1. 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. adhereaffinityalliterationamateuramicableamorousanimositycohereconfinecongregationdefinitivedegenerateelucidateengenderfinalefluentgregariousinherentliteraryluminary\begin{array}{lllll}\text { adhere } & \text { affinity } & \text { alliteration } & \text { amateur } & \text { amicable } \\ \text { amorous } & \text { animosity } & \text { cohere } & \text { confine } & \text { congregation } \\ \text { definitive } & \text { degenerate } & \text { elucidate } & \text { engender } & \text { finale } \\ \text { fluent } & \text { gregarious } & \text { inherent } & \text { literary } & \text { luminary }\end{array} This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Corrections? In the early hours of the next day, Maddox communication technicians intercepted SIGINT reports of North Vietnamese vessels getting under way, possibly intent on attacking the destroyer. The South Vietnameseconducted OPLAN 34A raids and the U.S. Navy's Desoto patrols could be perceived as collaborative efforts against North Vietnamese targets. 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 Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh has shed more light on US-Norwegian military cooperation which started after the end of the Second World War, and evoked memories of the controversial Gulf of Tonkin incident that opened the door to the . Prior to the two incidents the U.S. had provided substantial aid to South Vietnam and also had a number of military advisers in South Vietnam. No actual visual sightings by MADDOX. Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. . It was probably his kid, so history has been mad at the wrong person all along. 6. Subscribe to Seymour Hersh to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. Edwin E. Mose, Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 1996), pp. 16. The Maddox fired at the torpedo boats, which fired back. The administration's zeal for aggressive action, motivated by President Johnson's election worries, created an atmosphere of recklessness and overenthusiasm in which it became easy to draw conclusions based on scanty evidence and to overlook normally prudent precautionary measures. (Wikimedia Commons) F ifty-one years ago today, the United States . Answers: 3. President Jonson took these claims to Congress which subsequently passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. The Gulf of Tonkin incident was a 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. Fill each blank with the word from the list below that best fits the context. That night, the South Vietnamese staged more OPLAN 34A raids. 31. At 1440, the destroyer detected three North Vietnamese patrol boats approaching her position from the west. Jim and Sybil Stockdale, In Love and War (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990, rev. This, in effect, gave Johnson carte blanche to escalate US involvement in Vietnam without the restrictions of declaring war. John Prados, "Tonkin Gulf Intelligence 'Skewed' According to Official History and Intercepts," National Security Agency Electronic Briefing Book, no. Subscribe now and never hit a limit. A second boat then launched two "fish" but was hit by gunfire from the destroyer. 18. Forty-eight hours earlier, on Aug. 2, two US destroyers on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin the Maddox and the Turner Joy were attacked by North Vietnamese boats. Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken."13. Seventh Fleet in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2 and August 4, respectively. They were there as part of an effort to support South Vietnamese military raids on what was then the North Vietnamese coast. 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. 1 The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, escalator of the Vietnam War, never happened Conspiracy theory: The Gulf of Tonkin incident, a major escalator of US involvement in the Vietnam War, never actually occurred. However, the initial incidents have stirred up great controversy given the varying accounts of the A few days after the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed, he commented, "Hell, those damn, stupid sailors were just shooting at flying fish.

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