What actually happened at the Gulf of Tonkin?
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. North Vietnamese warships purportedly attacked United States warships, the U.S.S. Maddox and the U.S.S. C. Turner Joy, on two separate occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of water neighboring modern-day Vietnam.
Where is Tonkin in Vietnam?
Tonkin, also spelled Tongkin, Tonquin or Tongking, is an exonym referring to the northern region of Vietnam. During the 17th and 18th centuries, this term referred to the domain Đàng Ngoài under Trịnh lords' control, including both the Northern and Thanh-Nghệ regions, north of the Gianh River.
Which country is called Gulf of Tonkin?
northern VietnamThe Gulf of Tonkin is a gulf at the northwestern portion of the South China Sea, located off the coasts of Tonkin (northern Vietnam) and South China. It has a total surface area of 126,250 km2 (48,750 sq mi).
Why were U.S. ships in the Gulf of Tonkin?
Four years later, Secretary McNamara admitted to Congress that the U.S. ships had in fact been cooperating in the South Vietnamese attacks against North Vietnam.
What really happened to the USS Maddox on that dark night in the Gulf of Tonkin?
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. There is no doubting that fact.
Was Gulf of Tonkin real?
It was as close to a declaration of war that the Johnson administration would ever get. But it was based on a lie. After decades of public skepticism and government secrecy, the truth finally came out: In the early 2000s, nearly 200 documents were declassified and released by the National Security Agency (NSA).
Was North Vietnam a country?
North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV), was a socialist state in Southeast Asia that existed from 1945 to 1976....North Vietnam.Democratic Republic of Vietnam Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa• 1945–1969Hồ Chí Minh• 1969–1976Tôn Đức ThắngPrime Minister• 1945–1955Hồ Chí Minh50 more rows
What country occupied Vietnam during ww2?
JapaneseIn September 1940 Vietnam was occupied by Japanese forces, which were expanding throughout south-east Asia and seeking greater control over China's southern borders.
How did the Gulf of Tonkin escalate the Vietnam War?
In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina.
Did the Navy use Agent Orange in Vietnam?
SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR By far the most widely used herbicide in Vietnam was Agent Orange, followed by Agent White; other tactical herbicides that were used during the war include Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent Pink, and Agent Green.
What was the real reason America entered the Vietnam War?
The U.S. entered the Vietnam War in an attempt to prevent the spread of communism, but foreign policy, economic interests, national fears, and geopolitical strategies also played major roles. Learn why a country that had been barely known to most Americans came to define an era.
Who attacked first in the Vietnam War?
North Vietnam Shocks America January 1968: The Tet Offensive begins, encompassing a combined assault of Viet Minh and North Vietnamese armies. Attacks are carried out in more than 100 cities and outposts across South Vietnam, including Hue and Saigon, and the U.S. Embassy is invaded.
What is a Tonkin in English?
Tonkin in American English (ˈtɑnkɪn ; ˈtɑnˈkɪn ) 1. historical region and former French protectorate in NE Indochina: the N part of Vietnam. 2. Gulf of arm of the South China Sea between Hainan Island & the coasts of S China & N Vietnam.
Did the Navy use Agent Orange in Vietnam?
SELECTED CHEMICALS USED DURING THE VIETNAM WAR By far the most widely used herbicide in Vietnam was Agent Orange, followed by Agent White; other tactical herbicides that were used during the war include Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent Pink, and Agent Green.
Where is the Ho Chi Minh trail?
The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a military supply route running from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia to South Vietnam.
Was the USS Maddox destroyed?
Vietnam War August 2 the destroyer USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats while on electronic surveillance patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized President Lyndon Johnson to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression” by the communist government of North Vietnam.
Who was the Navy Commander who was flying over the Gulf of Tonkin?
However, Navy Commander James Stockdale, who had overseen the air defense of Maddox two days before and was flying recognizance over the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4th, cast doubt on whether there was indeed an attack that day, noting, “Our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets….
When did the second Gulf of Tonkin happen?
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.
What did George Ball say about the Gulf of Tonkin?
many people ... were looking for any excuse to initiate bombing". George Ball stated that the mission of the destroyer warship involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident "was primarily for provocation.".
Was there a political motive for the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
There was no political motive to their action. On November 30, 2005, the NSA released a first installment of previously classified information regarding the Gulf of Tonkin incident, including a moderately sanitized version of Hanyok's article.
Did the Gulf of Tonkin attack happen?
McNamara admitted that the August 2 USS Maddox attack happened with no Defense Department response, but the August 4 Gulf of Tonkin attack never happened. In 1995, McNamara met with former Vietnam People's Army General Võ Nguyên Giáp to ask ...
How deep is the Gulf of Tonkin?
The gulf is 300 miles (500 km) long, 150 miles (250 km) wide, and up to 230 feet (70 metres) deep. The main shipping route is via…. History at your fingertips.
What was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution?
Analyze the effects of the Tonkin Gulf Resolution passed under the Johnson administration amid the Vietnam War. In August 1964, in response to an alleged attack by North Vietnamese patrol boats on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, the U.S. Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to take any action necessary to deal with threats ...
What happened in the Gulf of Tonkin?
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. Seventh Fleet and that led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, ...
Who was the secretary of defense during the Gulf of Tonkin?
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. Patricia Bauer.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
Two days later, on August 7, Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave the president authority to increase U.S. involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam. President Johnson signed this into law three days later, privately remarking that the resolution “was like Grandma’s nightshirt. It covers everything.”.
Who was the pilot at the Gulf of Tonkin?
As Commander James Stockdale, one of the pilots at the Gulf of Tonkin incident, later said, “I had the best seat in the house to watch that event, and our destroyers were just shooting at phantom targets — there were no PT boats there…nothing there but black water and American firepower.”.
What did Stockdale say about the Gulf of Tonkin?
Stockdale later said, “We were about to launch a war under false pretenses, in the face of the on-scene military commander’s advice to the contrary.”. Despite this, he led a strike of 18 aircraft against an oil storage facility located just inland of where the alleged Gulf of Tonkin incident had occurred.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?
The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident: The Lie That Sparked The Vietnam War. In August 1964, the United States entered the Vietnam War after reports of an unprovoked attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. But the reports were false — and the president knew it. In August 1964, the USS Maddox destroyer was stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam.
When did the Gulf of Tonkin attack?
Wikimedia Commons A map of the Gulf of Tonkin, where the supposed attacks took place on Aug. 4, 1964. By 1964, the pressure on these waters had reached a boil, and North Vietnamese forces were not about to stand still against these operations.
Who was the commander of the North Vietnamese forces during the Gulf of Tonkin?
Mere hours after the speech, Commander Stockdale was ordered to launch an airstrike against the North Vietnamese forces as retaliation for their supposed attacks the evening before. Cecil Stoughton/U.S. National Archives and Records Administration President Johnson signs the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. 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.
Which president was authorized to make war in the Gulf of Tonkin?
destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin, the U.S. Congress authorized Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson to take any action necessary to deal with threats against U.S.
Overview
The Gulf of Tonkin incident (Vietnamese: Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out by North Vietnamese forces in response to covert operations in the coastal region of the gulf, and a second, claimed confrontation on August 4, 1964, between ships of North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. …
Background
The Geneva Conference in 1954 was intended to settle outstanding issues following the end of hostilities between France and the Viet Minh at the end of the First Indochina War. Neither the United States nor State of Vietnam signed anything at the 1954 Geneva Conference. The accords, which were signed by other participants including the Viet Minh, mandated a temporary ceasefire line, which separated southern and northern Vietnam to be governed by the State of Vietnam an…
Incident
Daniel Ellsberg, who was on duty in the Pentagon the night of August 4, receiving messages from USS Maddox, reported that she was on a DESOTO mission near Northern Vietnamese territorial waters. On July 31, 1964, Maddox had begun her mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. Captain George Stephen Morrison was in command of local American forces from his flagship USS Bon Homme Richard. Maddox was under orders not to approach closer than eight miles (13 km) from North …
United States' response
Shortly before midnight, on August 4, Johnson interrupted national television to make an announcement in which he described an attack by North Vietnamese vessels on two U.S. Navy warships, Maddox and Turner Joy, and requested authority to undertake a military response. Johnson's speech repeated the theme that "dramatized Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh as the aggressor and which put the United States into a more acceptable defensive posture." Johnson also referred t…
Distortion of the event
The U.S. government was still seeking evidence on the night of August 4 when Johnson gave his address to the American public on the incident; messages recorded that day indicate that neither Johnson nor McNamara was certain of an attack. Various news sources, including Time, Life and Newsweek, published articles throughout August on the Tonkin Gulf incident. Time reported: "Through the darkness, from the West and south ... intruders boldly sped ... at least six of them ..…
Consequences
By early afternoon of August 4, Washington time, Herrick had reported to the Commander in Chief Pacific in Honolulu that "freak weather effects" on the ship's radar had made such an attack questionable. In fact, Herrick stated in a message sent at 1:27 pm Washington time that no North Vietnamese patrol boats had actually been sighted. Herrick proposed a "complete evaluation before any further action taken."
Later statements about the incident
Johnson commented privately: "For all I know, our navy was shooting at whales out there."
In 1967, former naval officer John White wrote a letter to the editor of the New Haven (CT) Register. He asserts "I maintain that President Johnson, Secretary McNamara and the Joint Chiefs of Staff gave false information to Congress in their report about US destroyers being attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin." White continued his whistleblowing activities in the 1968 documentary In the …
NSA report
In October 2005, The New York Times reported that Robert J. Hanyok, a historian for the NSA, concluded that the NSA distorted intelligence reports passed to policy makers regarding the August 4 incident. The NSA historian said agency staff "deliberately skewed" the evidence to make it appear that an attack had occurred. Hanyok's conclusions were initially published in the Winter 2000/Spring 2001 Edition of Cryptologic Quarterly about five years before the Times artic…