Tet offensive of 1968 & Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Johnson increased the US military presence in Vietnam. He sent General William Westmoreland, a praised veteran of the Korean War and World War II, to command military operations. Johnson was determined to take the American military intervention in Vietnam to a qualitatively different level. However, in order to convince the American public of the need for drastic action in South East Asia, Johnson needed an excuse. He found it in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which served the same purpose as Pearl Harbor did in World War II--a reason to go to war.
In August 1964, the USS Maddox was on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin and exchanged fire with North Vietnamese torpedo boats. President Johnson issued instructions that in the event of a further attack upon US vessels in "international waters" they were to respond by destroying the attackers. Two days later, the ship's captain thought he was again coming under attack. But one of the pilots was unsure. In a television interview, Vice Admiral James Stockdale, who was a pilot at Tonkin, made the following statement:
"Well, I was over that ... those destroyers for over an hour and a half, below a thousand feet, lights off, watching everything they did. I could hear 'em chit-chatting on the radio, the Maddox and the Joy, they seemed to have some intermittent radar targets. I took it upon myself to get out there where they thought the boat was and try to kill it if they didn't. But it was fruitless ... and I'd go down there and there was nothing."
Ignoring the conflicting evidence, the Pentagon insisted there had been a second attack. On August 5, 1964, the U.S. secretary of defense stated:
"In retaliation for this unprovoked attack on the high seas, our forces have struck the bases used by the North Vietnamese patrol craft."
There was no Vietnamese attack on a US warship. However, Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin incident to force Congress to allow the United States wage war on Vietnam. On August 7, 1964 Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which allowed the president to take any necessary measures to repel further attacks and to provide military assistance to any South Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) member. Senators Wayne L. Morse of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska cast the only dissenting votes.
President Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam. On March 9, 1965 the first American combat troops arrived in Vietnam, thus beginning the treacherous and horrific war that we know today as the Vietnam War.
In August 1964, the USS Maddox was on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin and exchanged fire with North Vietnamese torpedo boats. President Johnson issued instructions that in the event of a further attack upon US vessels in "international waters" they were to respond by destroying the attackers. Two days later, the ship's captain thought he was again coming under attack. But one of the pilots was unsure. In a television interview, Vice Admiral James Stockdale, who was a pilot at Tonkin, made the following statement:
"Well, I was over that ... those destroyers for over an hour and a half, below a thousand feet, lights off, watching everything they did. I could hear 'em chit-chatting on the radio, the Maddox and the Joy, they seemed to have some intermittent radar targets. I took it upon myself to get out there where they thought the boat was and try to kill it if they didn't. But it was fruitless ... and I'd go down there and there was nothing."
Ignoring the conflicting evidence, the Pentagon insisted there had been a second attack. On August 5, 1964, the U.S. secretary of defense stated:
"In retaliation for this unprovoked attack on the high seas, our forces have struck the bases used by the North Vietnamese patrol craft."
There was no Vietnamese attack on a US warship. However, Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin incident to force Congress to allow the United States wage war on Vietnam. On August 7, 1964 Congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which allowed the president to take any necessary measures to repel further attacks and to provide military assistance to any South Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) member. Senators Wayne L. Morse of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska cast the only dissenting votes.
President Johnson ordered the bombing of North Vietnam. On March 9, 1965 the first American combat troops arrived in Vietnam, thus beginning the treacherous and horrific war that we know today as the Vietnam War.