what was true about the gulf of tonkin incident

not to seek his party's nomination as the presidential candidate. Stockdale reported seeing no torpedo boats. CIA Director John McCone answered matter-of-factly, "No, the North Vietnamese are reacting defensively to our attacks on their offshore islands . 26. Messages declassified in 2005 and recently released tapes from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library reveal confusion among the leadership in Washington. And quite frankly, I follow that rule. And why were highly skilled seamen and technicians from the Norwegian Navy involved. 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. OB. Reply. After this was reported to Washington, Robert McNamara urged President Johnson to retaliate. The destroyers reported automatic-weapons fire; more than 20 torpedo attacks; sightings of torpedo wakes, enemy cockpit lights, and searchlight illumination; and numerous radar and surface contacts. The Gulf of Tonkin incident (Vietnamese: S kin Vnh Bc B) 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 . 8. 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 alleged attacks on August 4th against the USS Maddox and USS Joy were the basis for escalating the United States' involvement in Vietnam, but those attacks never occurred. 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. The third was left dead in the water and burning.7. L. 88-408, 78 Stat. 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 allowed for the president to send combat troops to Vietnam. By 1 August, the destroyer had returned to the area and was back on patrol. What was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and why was it important? MUSINGS FOR MARCH, 2023 | INI World Report Johnson was also about to go on national television to describe the attacks and request the authority to undertake a military response, even though the decision had already been made. Have interviewed witnesses who made positive visual sightings of cockpit lights or similar passing near MADDOX. On the afternoon of August 2, 1964, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats clashed with the American destroyer Maddox (DD-731) patrolling the coast. In 1964, the American government claimed that American naval ships had been attacked in territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. a woman's right to choose in the first trimester. "29, During comments to reporters on 6 August, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara lied when he denied knowledge of the nature of the provocative OPLAN 34A raids, which were organized and overseen by his department. He was the second-longest POW in American history, the longest also during the Vietnam conflict. Operations carried during peace-time by civilian organisation, as well as covert government agencies, may by extension be called false flag operations if they seek to hide the real organisation behind an operation. History, 21.06.2019 16:00. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. It was the basis for the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which committed major American forces to the war in Vietnam. After observing North Vietnamese patrol torpedo boats pursuing the vessels that had attacked Hon Me, the Maddox withdrew from the area. 2. At all. They were there as part of an effort to support South Vietnamese military raids on what was then the North Vietnamese coast. Cover-Up Worse Than Crime: Silence Around Hersh's Bombshell & Ominous Gulf of Tonkin Parallels. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. 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. Next, the best we have as Robert McNamara deemed him, General William Westmoreland was appointed the commander of operations in Vietnam in April of 1964. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in 1964, was a major turning point in United States military involvement in Vietnam. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Answers: 3. This final release includes additional articles, chronologies of events, oral history interviews, and other related memoranda. 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. History, 21.06.2019 19:50. The Turner Joy had not detected any torpedoes during the entire encounter, and Herrick determined that the Maddox's operators were probably hearing the ship's propellers reflecting off her rudder during sharp turns.12 The destroyer's main gun director was never able to lock onto any targets because, as the operator surmised, the radar was detecting the stormy sea's wave tops. A joint resolution of Congress dated August 7, 1964, gave the president authority to increase U.S. involvement in the war between North and South Vietnam and served as the legal basis for escalations in the Johnson and Nixon administrations that likely dwarfed what most Americans could have imagined in August 1964. PDF The American Yawp The Vietnam War Gulf of Tonkin Incident - odysee.com The Gulf of Tonkin theory. And what about the North Vietnamese battle report that seemed to provide irrefutable confirmation of the attack? The events that escalated the Vietnam War - were they real?: Exploring But it wasn't true. D. President Johnson acted before all the facts became known. The targets were military or directly applicable to the North Vietnamese ability to wage war on South Vietnam. Until then, the United States supported South Vietnam by every means at its disposal, short of fully engaging its military. 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. H. R. McMaster, Dereliction of Duty (New York: Harper Collins, 1997), p. 129. See all videos for this article Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. The film won the Academy Award for best documentary feature for 2003. McNamara instead declared that "our Navy played absolutely no part in, was not associated with, was not aware of, any South Vietnamese actions, if there were any. The destroyer was retiring to the south. At the same time, the Vietnamese navy was undertaking a mission under the oversight of the U.S. Department of Defense to attack radar stations, bridges, and other such targets along North Vietnams coasts. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The US Navy destroyer had shipping container on its decked fitted out with electronic monitoring equipment gathering radio/radar (signals intelligence) information on North Vietnam. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? New York: Oxford Press, 2008. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident, https://dailyhistory.org/index.php?title=Was_the_Gulf_of_Tonkin_incident_staged&oldid=23951. Answer (1 of 8): Yes. It's true. But the reports were false and the president knew it. 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. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution or the Southeast Asia Resolution, Pub. The attacks were unprovoked. Fifty years ago, in what came to be known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the U.S.S. 3. We probably shot up a radar station and a few other miscellaneous buildings. Can the omission of evidence by McNamara be forgiven? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). President Jonson took these claims to Congress which subsequently passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Ill give more brainly points, Which statement best illustrates how Elizabeth Van Lew was able to organize Five months ago that teamworkabout which we still know very littleresulted in the destruction of two pipelines, on orders of President Biden, with international implications yet to be determined. It was the beginning of the United States air assault against North Vietnam that lasted until the end of the war. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident: The Incident that Never Actually - YouTube . The Mysteries of Tonkin Gulf | The American Legion Captain Herrick also began to have doubts about the attack. OD. Roe v. Wade, the court case that legalized abortion hinged on what legal idea? The enemy ship could also have been damaged. The first incident took place on August 2 . The Maddox and Turner Joy moved out to sea, but both reported that they were tracking multiple unidentified vessels approaching their positions. At 1723 in Washington, Air Force Lieutenant General David Burchinal, the director of the Joint Staff, was watching the events unfold from the National Military Command Center when he received a phone call from Sharp. 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. Army Colonel: False Flag 'Gulf of Tonkin Incident' May Be Used to Get Financial and material aid was increased. The Maddox fired warning shots, but the torpedo boats continued and opened fire in return. At roughly the same time, the USS Maddox engaged in electronic surveillance also in the Gulf. Details of action following present a confusing picture. CINCPACFLT 140203ZJuly64. Initial successes, however, were limited; numerous South Vietnamese raiders were captured, and OPLAN 34A units suffered heavy casualties. . Torpedo boats and fuel storage facilities were destroyed. On the night of August 4, both the Maddox and Turner Joy reported they were under attack. What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? 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. August 5, 2014. 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. The Columbia History of the Vietnam War. 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. "27, Intelligence officials realized the obvious. However, the initial incidents have stirred up great controversy given the varying accounts of the The Gulf of Tonkin incident - Vietnam War With the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the United States committed its full strength to the conflict. Confederate leaders' households. various battlefields. The Pentagon Papers, published in the 1970's subsequently proved that the claims, along with the rest of the information published by the American government justifying US involvement in Vietnam were falsehoods. 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. Episode 2450 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story more about how the Norwegian Navy participated in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. naval event, Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam [1964]. www.WhiteHouseTapes.org. As the battle continued, he realized the "attacks" were actually the results of "overeager sonar operators" and poor equipment performance. You must include thesis statement, 4 body paragraphs and other reading and a conclusion to wrap up your debate 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. 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. Carter's campaign focused less on issues than on his background as a hardworking, honest, Southern Baptist southerner, All of the following led to the economic development of the Sun Belt EXCEPT. Richmond socialites. Johnson did not want to anger American voters by putting US servicemen in harms way, but he was conscious of the fact that if he did nothing he would be labeled soft on Communism by his Republican opponents. On 4 August 1964 two U.S. destroyers were again in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin. "16 Amid all the other confusion and growing doubt about the attack, this battle report was a compelling piece of evidence.

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