The Mysteries of Tonkin Gulf | The American Legion He was the second-longest POW in American history, the longest also during the Vietnam conflict. "16 Amid all the other confusion and growing doubt about the attack, this battle report was a compelling piece of evidence. Almost immediately upon taking the helm in Vietnam, Westmoreland called for greater troop strength throughout South Vietnam. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Crazy. 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 . 27. Subscribe now and never hit a limit. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 3. Specially equipped with a communications intercept van and 17 SIGINT specialists, she was to patrol in international waters off the North Vietnamese coast, from the demilitarized zone (DMZ) north to the Chinese border. 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. . Reply. In large part due to the passage of this resolution, American forces became even more deeply mired in the Vietnam War. 1 What was true about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? Decommissioned in 1982, she is now a museum ship in Bremerton, Washington. The Secret Side of the Tonkin Gulf Incident | Naval History Magazine The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in 1964, was a major turning point in United States military involvement in Vietnam. Both houses of Congress passed the resolution on August 7, the House of Representatives by 414 votes to nil, and the Senate by a vote of 88 to 2. At present cannot even estimate number of boats involved. The next day, the Maddox resumed her Desoto patrol, and, to demonstrate American resolve and the right to navigate in international waters, President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the USS Turner Joy (DD-951) to join the first destroyer on patrol off the North Vietnamese coast. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 19. Despite this type of loss throughout the war, the North Vietnamese continued to fight. Gulf of Tonkin Incident: False Flag For War In Vietnam Is it true that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was faked? - Quora H. R. McMaster, Dereliction of Duty (New York: Harper Collins, 1997), p. 129. The simple answer is that the Norwegian Navy has a long and murky history of cooperation with American intelligence. what was true about the gulf of tonkin incident apex 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. "17, McNamara considered the report, coupled with Admiral Sharp's belief the attack was authentic, as conclusive proof. 25. 28. Captain Herrick also began to have doubts about the attack. 2 What happened at the Gulf of Tonkin quizlet? Lawrence, Mark Atwood. Until then, the United States supported South Vietnam by every means at its disposal, short of fully engaging its military. Gulf of Tonkin - nsa.gov The Gulf of Tonkin incident is the name given to two separate confrontations involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. 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. Gulf of Tonkin Incident - Ohio History Central Enter a Melbet promo code and get a generous bonus, An Insight into Coupons and a Secret Bonus, Organic Hacks to Tweak Audio Recording for Videos Production, Bring Back Life to Your Graphic Images- Used Best Graphic Design Software, New Google Update and Future of Interstitial Ads. 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. 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 events between July 30 and August 10, 1964, are viewed as the tipping point of American involvement in Vietnam. What was the primary guiding principle of Carter's foreign policy during his early years in office? and The targets were military or directly applicable to the North Vietnamese ability to wage war on South Vietnam. Critique does not simply mean In my account of the Biden Administrations decision to destroy the Nord Stream pipelines, why did much of the secret planning and training for the operation take place in Norway? Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. 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. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident: The Incident that Never Actually - YouTube Hanyok claimed that "The overwhelming body of reports, if used, would have told the story that no attack occurred. Jim and Sybil Stockdale, In Love and War (New York: Harper and Row, 1984), p. 23. She recruited volunteers from among the Union prisoners held at The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched America's full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. Reduce the president's ability to wage war without congressional consen, Which of the following is true about President Johnson and the Vietnam War?. President Jonson took these claims to Congress which subsequently passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Requested by Johnson, the resolution authorized the chief executive to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." Confederate leaders' households. Initial successes, however, were limited; numerous South Vietnamese raiders were captured, and OPLAN 34A units suffered heavy casualties. 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. What power did the Gulf of Tonkin give the President? The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution effectively launched Americas full-scale involvement in the Vietnam War. 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. McMasters, Dereliction of Duty, p. 134. All of the enemy boats were heading northwest at about 40 knots, two in front of the third by about a mile. What happened at the Gulf of Tonkin quizlet? 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. 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. 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. 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 resolution was introduced in response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, during which two US naval ships were allegedly attacked by North . At the end of July 1964, MACV-SOG assaulted North Vietnamese installations on the coast of North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. 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. 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. Several reported torpedoes were probably boats themselves which were observed to make several close passes on MADDOX. How did American liberals change their views of poverty during the 1960s? The destroyer was retiring to the south. You must include thesis statement, 4 body paragraphs and other reading and a conclusion to wrap up your debate (APEX) Did the gulf of Tonkin incident happen? Among the most revealing documents is a study of the Gulf of Tonkin incidents by NSA historian Robert J. Hanyok. Yes it happened. The featured story comes from the Counter Currents website and was titled: Covert Operations In Continue reading In August 1964, the United States entered the Vietnam War after reports of an unprovoked attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Gulf of Tonkin theory. Besides the situation in Vietnam, Johnson was very concerned with the upcoming election of 1964. Richmond socialites. 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. 23. And six decades ago, so the histories of those years have it, a small group of Norwegian seamen were entangled in a presidential deceit that led to an earlyand bloodyturning point in the Vietnam war. D. food and medical care He sent a flash (highest priority) message to Honolulu, which was received in Washington at 1327 on 4 August, declaring his doubts: "Review of action makes many reported contacts and torpedoes fired appear doubtful. Answers: 3. 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. Additionally, messages that were forwarded contained "severe analytic errors, unexplained translation changes, and the conjunction of two messages into one translation." Earlier in 1963, the US-backed president of South Vietnam, Diem, and his brother were assassinated as well. . Both ships began firing at what they thought were torpedo boats, and again they sought air support. The USS Maddox destroyer, which was the U.S. ship involved in the Gulf of Tonkin incident, shown in the 1960s. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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. And following 24 hours after that with this destroyer in the same area undoubtedly led them to connect the two events. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . 3. Gulf of Tonkin incident - Wikipedia 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. COMUSMACV 291233ZJuly64. 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. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. A myriad of issues confronted the new president, not the least of which was the ongoing crisis in Vietnam. 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 Unlike Captain Herrick, Stockdale had no doubt about what had happened: "We were about to launch a war under false pretenses, in the face of the on-scene military commander's advice to the contrary. 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. A myriad of issues confronted the new president, not the least of which was the ongoing crisis in Vietnam. TURNER JOY reports two torpedoes passed near her.14, McNamara phoned Sharp at 1608 Washington time to talk it over and asked, "Was there a possibility that there had been no attack?" It showed the military superiority of the South Vietnamese. ed. 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. Fifty years ago, in what came to be known as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, North Vietnamese patrol boats attacked the U.S.S. 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. (19) Immediately after placing a load upon the hanger, however minuscule, the cardboard tube collapses into its natural equilibrium-the classic V-shape. . Answers: 2 Show answers Another question on History. The Real Tonkin Gulf Deception Wasn't by Lyndon Johnson What should have stood out to the U.S. leadership collecting all the data of these attacks was that, with the exception of the battle report, no other SIGINT "chatter" was detected during the attacks on 4 August. How did the United States respond to the independence movement in Vietnam? The Gulf of Tonkin incident is considered a false flag ope. Pat Bauer graduated from Ripon College in 1977 with a double major in Spanish and Theatre. 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. "19 Despite his reservations, Stockdale led a strike of 18 aircraft against an oil storage facility at Vinh, located just inland of where the alleged attacks on the Maddox and Turner Joy had occurred. President Johnson acted before all the facts became known, and caused the US to be more involved with Vietnam. The Mysteries of Tonkin Gulf. [T]hey operate on their own. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. 4, Summer 2004, p. 75. After this was reported to Washington, Robert McNamara urged President Johnson to retaliate. See all videos for this article Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. 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. Alvarez was finally released in 1973. He is currently assigned as the Andean Ridge and Southern Cone Desk officer at U.S. See Summary Notes of the 538th meeting of the National Security Council. 1. 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. Overhead, meanwhile, four F8 Crusaders that the Maddox had called in earlier from the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) were rapidly approaching. You can specify conditions of storing and accessing cookies in your browser, president Johnson acted before all the facts became known. She hired former Confederate soldiers to gather information from The United States was playing a dangerous game. Quoted in Robert McNamara's In Retrospect, (New York: Vintage, 1996) p. 133. 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. Case Closed: The Gulf of Tonkin Incident - HistoryNet Naval Institute Photo archive. None of these communications occurred on the night of 4 August. Stockdale reported seeing no torpedo boats. 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. We probably shot up a radar station and a few other miscellaneous buildings. They are part of the South Vietnamese Navy . Was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident a false flag operation? - Quora www.WhiteHouseTapes.org. 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. 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. What were the key events in the Gulf of Tonkin Incident? The United States denied involvement. By 0127 on 5 August, hours after the "attacks" had occurred, Herrick had queried his crew and reviewed the preceding hours' events. 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. Sharp admitted that there was a "slight possibility" because of freak radar echoes, inexperienced sonarmen, and no visual sightings of torpedo wakes. Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken.. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident. Can the omission of evidence by McNamara be forgiven? 20. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 24. The August 4 incident never took place. . Indiquez si les phrases suivantes sont vraies ou fausses. In response, the North Vietnamese built up their naval presence around the offshore islands. . 132 (01 Dec 2005). Seventh Fleet and that led to the Gulf of . allowed for the president to send combat troops to Vietnam. O A. land and freedom Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 13. 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. In 1964, the American government claimed that American naval ships had been attacked in territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution | History, Facts, & Significance 4 What is the Gulf of Tonkin incident and why is it controversial? The Columbia History of the Vietnam War. What was later discovered were "Tonkin ghosts" (false radar images) and no evidence of the [] This assignment requires you to use themes from the readings and debate critically the meaning, scope, and/or practices. The witness was asked to __________ a statement she made that did not seem to ________with her earlier testimony. It also declared that the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia was vital to American interests and to world peace. 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. Subsequently, the White House carried the nation into the longest and one of the most costly conflicts in our nation's history. The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred in August 1964. Did the North Vietnamese actually attack US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin? the attack is a signal to us that the North Vietnamese have the will and determination to continue the war. a spy ring? 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. Several years later, as the American public became increasingly disillusioned with the Vietnam War, many congressmen came to see the resolution as giving the president a blanket power to wage war, and the resolution was repealed in 1970. 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. Corrections? The process of Vietnamization involved shifting fighting in the Vietnam War from Americans to the Southern Vietnamese. Why Norway? I, Vietnam 1964 (section 278). False reports were also presented, and the president didn't know about them. However, it is important to put what we do know into context. North Vietnamese warships purportedly attacked United States warships, the U.S.S. In early 1964, South Vietnam began conducting a covert series of U.S.-backed commando attacks and intelligence-gathering missions along the North Vietnamese coast. Moreover, some intercepts were altered to show different receipt times, and other evidence was cherry picked to deliberately distort the truth. 29. 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 . CINCPACFLT 140203ZJuly64. Served as justification for the assassination of Ngo Diem b. FROM THE GULF OF TONKIN TO THE BALTIC SEA - seymourhersh.substack.com Why The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident Didn't Happen - Grunge.com there was nothing there but black water and American firepower."11. Their overall objective was to disrupt North Vietnamese infiltration and support of South Vietnamese Communists, namely the Viet Cong. A top-secret extension of Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) was created Studies and Observations Group or SOG. Without the full picture, Congress could not offer the checks and balances it was designed to provide. various battlefields. Have interviewed witnesses who made positive visual sightings of cockpit lights or similar passing near MADDOX. She spent most of the next 42 years working as a copy editor and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica. McNamara's intentional distortion of events prevented Congress from providing the civilian oversight of military matters so fundamental to the congressional charter. In return, the lead vessel launched a torpedo and veered away. chapter28done.docx - The American Yawp Chapter 28 - The B. A. Calls between the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the National Military Command Center; headquarters of the Commander in Chief, Pacific; and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara were frequently exchanged during the phantom battle. History, 21.06.2019 19:50. Own ship screw noises on rudders may have accounted for some. HOPE THIS HELPS YOU. In addition, even though the losses from bombing could and usually were significant, the North Vietnamese often gained a morale boost when they would shoot an American bomber out of the sky. 8. Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 47. 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. OD. Gulf of Tonkin Incident - The Unwritten Record 13. 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. . Hanyok, "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds," p. 16; Edward J. Drea, "Tonkin Gulf Reappraisal: 40 Years Later," MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History, Vol. The reply is being given as I speak to you tonight. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Army Colonel H. R. McMaster, author of the highly acclaimed 1997 book Dereliction of Duty, accused Johnson and McNamara of outright deception: To enhance his chances for election, [Johnson] and McNamara deceived the American people and Congress about events and the nature of the American commitment in Vietnam. And then, two days later, on August 4, the Johnson administration claimed that it had been attacked again. C. Turner Joy, on two separate occasions in the Gulf of Tonkin, a body of . Fill each blank with the word from the list below that best fits the context. The president agreed and ordered Operation Pierce Arrow, an airstrike on North Vietnamese mainland targets.