Gulf of Tonkin incident - Encyclopedia Britannica | Britannica On 30 May 2006, NSA released the second and final installment of Gulf of Tonkin materials. Until then, the United States supported South Vietnam by every means at its disposal, short of fully engaging its military. On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. Seventh Fleet in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2 and August 4, respectively. It covers everything. COMUSMACV 291233ZJuly64. In the meantime, as a demonstration of presence and power, The Maddox was joined by the USS Turner Joy. Richmond socialites. 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. She hired former Confederate soldiers to gather information from In contrast, during the 2 August attack NSA listening posts monitored VHF communications between North Vietnamese vessels, HF communications between higher headquarters in Hanoi and the boats, and communication relays to the regional naval station. She participated extensively in the Vietnam War, and was one of the principal ships involved in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Lyndon Johnson on August 5, 1964, assertedly in reaction to two allegedly unprovoked attacks by North Vietnamese torpedo boats on the destroyers Maddox and C. Turner Joy of the U.S. Yes it happened. The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. . The admiral added that he was trying to get information and recommended holding any order for a retaliatory strike against North Vietnam until "we have a definite indication of what happened. Codenamed Operations Plan (OPLAN) 34A, the activities were conceived and overseen by the Department of Defense, with the support of the Central Intelligence Agency, and carried out by the South Vietnamese Navy. The Columbia History of the Vietnam War. On 6 August, when called before a joint session of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees to testify about the incident, McNamara eluded the questioning of Senator Wayne Morse (D-OR) when he asked specifically whether the 34A operations may have provoked the North Vietnamese response. A. 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. Was the Gulf of Tonkin incident staged USS Maddox On November 22, 1963, John Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. NSAPAC REP VIETNAM 200100ZAUG64. 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. (19) Immediately after placing a load upon the hanger, however minuscule, the cardboard tube collapses into its natural equilibrium-the classic V-shape. Its stated purpose was to approve and support the determination of the president, as commander in chief, in taking all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. 11. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . The Gulf of Tonkin Incident : r/NEWPOLITIC - reddit.com He is currently assigned as the Andean Ridge and Southern Cone Desk officer at U.S. The Maddox fired warning shots, but the torpedo boats continued and opened fire in return. (21) This ensures that they carry out that prime directive of all hangers-to render the clothing wrinkled and unfit for wearing in public. Stockdale reported seeing no torpedo boats. This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Their overall objective was to disrupt North Vietnamese infiltration and support of South Vietnamese Communists, namely the Viet Cong. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? How to Market Your Business with Webinars. When President Johnson asked during a 4 August meeting of the National Security Council, "Do they want a war by attacking our ships in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin?" Decommissioned in 1982, she is now a museum ship in Bremerton, Washington. In these shorter essays, you are expected to make a strong argument about a specific week's readings, and to support this argument with theoretical and empirical evidence. However, the retaliatory attack of 5 August marked the United States' first overt military action against the North Vietnamese and the most serious escalation up to that date. Paragraph 14, 15 Richard Nixon, quoted in Walter Isaacson, Kissinger: A Biography (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2005 . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). On Friday night, as you probably know, we had four TP [sic] boats from [South] Vietnam, manned by [South] Vietnamese or other nationals, attack two islands, and we expended, oh, 1,000 rounds of ammunition of one kind or another against them. The events that escalated the Vietnam War - were they real?: Exploring The Maddox was in the Gulf of Tonkin to collect signals intelligence on North Vietnam. Drea, "Tonkin Gulf Reappraisal," p. 5. C. supplies and shoes But what happened in the Gulf during the late hours of 4 Augustand the consequential actions taken by U.S. officials in Washingtonhas been seemingly cloaked in confusion and mystery ever since that night. "27, Intelligence officials realized the obvious. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 25. What initially sparked the 1973 energy crisis? This, in effect, gave Johnson carte blanche to escalate US involvement in Vietnam without the restrictions of declaring war. This was true from this first airstrike when two American aircraft were shot down during Pierce-Arrow. MUSINGS FOR MARCH, 2023 | INI World Report 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. Why the Gulf of Tonkin Matters 50 Years Later (1/2) - The Real News Network . 13. What was the primary guiding principle of Carter's foreign policy during his early years in office? 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. Led by Commander James B. Stockdale, the four Crusaders strafed one of the boats, claiming it sunk . What happened at the Gulf of Tonkin quizlet? The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was also called USS Maddox incident. The events between July 30 and August 10, 1964, are viewed as the tipping point of American involvement in Vietnam. It was in fact a more detailed report about the action on August 2, and there had not actually been an attack on August 4. 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. various battlefields. Stanley Karnow, Vietnam: A History (New York: Penguin Books, 1983) p. 372. What was later discovered were "Tonkin ghosts" (false radar images) and no evidence of the [] A plane piloted by Commander James Stockdale joined the action, flying at low altitude to see the enemy ships. OD. The Truth About Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964 proved to be America's key entry point to war in Vietnam. The Gulf of Tonkin incident irreversibly changed the outcome of the war, which is especially tragic considering one major fact: the incident was a hoax. In exchange for Lee's surrender, Grant offered 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. August 4, 1964: The Gulf of Tonkin 'Incident' Sparks American The following day, the Maddox found that it was being approached by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. At 2336, President Johnson appeared on national television and announced his intent to retaliate against North Vietnamese targets: "Repeated acts of violence against the armed forces of the United States must be met not only with alert defense, but with positive reply. It was the basis for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which committed major American forces to the war in Vietnam. . 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 . She recruited other Unionists, including government clerks The Maddox, however, was not. An intercepted SIGINT message, apparently from one of the patrol boats, reported: "Shot down two planes in the battle area. 132 (01 Dec 2005). 2. 15. 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. D. President Johnson acted before all the facts became known. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a joint resolution passed by the United States Congress in 1964 that gave 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B Johnson, the authority to deploy military forces in Southeast Asia without formally declaring war. Overhead, meanwhile, four F8 Crusaders that the Maddox had called in earlier from the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) were rapidly approaching. What is the importance of the Gulf on Tonkin? He admitted that the new SIGINT intercept "pins it down better than anything so far. 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 . . It was certainly convenient as a reason for expanding American involvement in the Vietnam War. Seventh Fleet and that led to the Gulf of Tonkin. The Vietnam War Gulf of Tonkin Incident - odysee.com Questions about the Gulf of Tonkin incidents have persisted for more than 40 years. . Did the North Vietnamese actually attack US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin? "21, Navy Captain John J. Herrick (left), pictured with Maddox skipper Commander Herbert L. Ogier on board the destroyer, kept his superiors informed during the alleged battle with North Vietnamese PT boats on 4 August. What was the primary political issue that Carter used in his presidential campaign? At 0248 in the Gulf, Herrick sent another report in which he changed his previous story: Certain that original ambush was bonafide. Historians have long suspected that the second attack in the Gulf of Tonkin never occurred and that the resolution was based on faulty evidence. Robert McNamara, In Retrospect (New York: Vintage, 1996) p. 133. And then, two days later, on August 4, the Johnson administration claimed that it had been attacked again. No approval or oversight of military force was required by Congress, essentially eliminating the system of checks and balances so fundamental to the U.S. Constitution. not to seek his party's nomination as the presidential candidate. C. It showed the willingness of North Vietnam to make peace. 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} What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and why was it important? 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. What really happened in the Gulf of Tonkin in 1964? | The World from PRX There is no doubting that fact. Captain Herrick also began to have doubts about the attack. 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. what was true about the gulf of tonkin incident apex On the night of July 3031, 1964, South Vietnamese commandos attacked North Vietnamese radar and military installations on Hon Me and Hon Ngu islands in the Gulf of Tonkin. The relocation of American manufacturing overseas, The southern strategy involved attracting Democratic voters to the Republican Party.. the attack is a signal to us that the North Vietnamese have the will and determination to continue the war. Another reporter pressed the issue, "Do these [patrol boats] go north, into North Vietnamese waters?" They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In reality, McNamara knew full well that the 34A attacks had probably provoked the 2 August attacks on the Maddox. On the evening of July 30-31, South Vietnamese commandos attacked two North Vietnamese islands near where. Fifty years ago, in what came to be known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the U.S.S. 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. 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. Ukraine: The Tunnel at the End of the Light 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. 7. The Gulf of Tonkin incident is considered a false flag ope. What was the intention of the War Powers Resolution? Answers: 2 Show answers Another question on History. Was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident a false flag operation? - Quora Anderson, David L., Editor. The reply is being given as I speak to you tonight. In the Gulf of Tonkin incident, North Vietnamese torpedo boats supposedly attacked the USS Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin, off Vietnam, in a pair of assaults on August 2 and 4 of 1964. 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. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in 1964, was a major turning point in United States military involvement in Vietnam. Served as justification for the assassination of Ngo Diem b. And what about the North Vietnamese battle report that seemed to provide irrefutable confirmation of the attack? . The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched America's full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. 29. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. And why were highly skilled seamen and technicians from the Norwegian Navy involved? 22. The Southeast Asia Resolution, or Gulf of Tonkin Resolution as it became better known, was proposed on August 6 and passed unanimously by the House of Representatives on August 7 and 88-2 in the Senate. What statement about the Gulf Tonkin incident is true? Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president later that day. 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. 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. Johnson and McNamara recording, 03 August 1964 at 10:30 a.m., recording provided by the, Presidential Recordings Program, Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia. a woman's right to choose in the first trimester. It showed the willingness of North Vietnam to make peace. McNamara was informed of this doubt but decided to remain quiet because Pierce-Arrow was already in motion. Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 1964 - GCSE History CH 13 Meiosis and Sexual Life Cycles Vocab, Chapter 9: Cellular Respiration and Fermentat, US Citizenship and Naturalization Test 2019 (, Cole Conlin, Elizabeth Millan, Max Ehrsam, Parthena Draggett, An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese Workbook, Betsy Kerr, Guy Spielmann, Mary Rogers, Tracy D.Terrell, la prise de conscience de notre impact sur la plan. The North Vietnamese boats attacked with torpedoes and machine gun fire. 10 Conspiracy Theories That Turned Out To Be True - Oddee Gunfire and torpedoes were exchanged while F-8 fighters from USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) raced to the scene. What Were The Truth'S About Tion About The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident? With the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the United States committed its full strength to the conflict. 1964 promised to be a volatile year in an already charged arena. Interpreting this as an act of North Vietnamese aggression, the US government responded by ordering greater military involvement in Vietnam. 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 . The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. 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. President Johnson is overcome with grief as he listens to a tape sent by his son-in-law, Captain Charles Robb, from Vietnam in 1968. 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. 23. For more on this topic see the following: Grand Delusion: U.S. Strategy and the Tonkin Gulf Incident, The Secret Side of the Tonkin Gulf Incident. According to Hanyok, "SIGINT information was presented in such a manner as to preclude responsible decision makers in the Johnson Administration from having the complete and objective narrative of events of 04 August 1964."24. By the time the destroyers broke off their "counterattack," they had fired 249 5-inch shells, 123 3-inch shells, and four or five depth charges.10, Commander Stockdale was again in the action, this time alone. Updates? 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. 12. 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. The Gulf of Tonkin theory. 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. Reduce the president's ability to wage war without congressional consen, Which of the following is true about President Johnson and the Vietnam War?. 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. 17. 27. That night, the South Vietnamese staged more OPLAN 34A raids. Although the U.S. destroyers were operating more than 100 miles from the North Vietnamese coastline, the approaching vessels seemed to come at the ships from multiple directions, some from the northeast, others from the southwest. Sharp admitted that there was a "slight possibility" because of freak radar echoes, inexperienced sonarmen, and no visual sightings of torpedo wakes. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? A. It showed the . Feb 26, 2013. Though not manned by American sailors, four ships under the command of MACV-SOG attacked two islands in the Gulf, Hon Me, and Hon Ngu. 30-Year Anniversary: Tonkin Gulf Lie Launched Vietnam War 5. After observing North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats pursuing the vessels that had attacked Hon Me, the Maddox withdrew from the area. 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. President Johnson acted before all the facts became known. Still other targets appeared from the east, mimicking attacking profiles of torpedo boats. This led the North Vietnamese to increase their efforts in the south. Gulf of Tonkin - nsa.gov Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. Those communications most likely referred to operations to salvage the torpedo boat that had been damaged in the earlier firefight. Subscribe now and never hit a limit. What Was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution? - WorldAtlas Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 19. Ill give more brainly points, Which statement best illustrates how Elizabeth Van Lew was able to organize C. Turner Joy, on two separate occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of . 5-8; Andrade and Conboy, "The Secret Side.". What was the most significant impact of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution? Gulf of Tonkin Incident - Ohio History Central Gulf of Tonkin Incident: False Flag For War In Vietnam 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. 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. 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. The order to retaliate was given less than thirty minutes after the initial report. The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence.