Hawk1981
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An American navy ship, the USS Maddox reported on August 2, 1964, that it had been attacked by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats while on patrol near the North Vietnamese coast. The Maddox was struck by machine gun fire but successfully evaded the torpedoes that had been launched toward it. One of the torpedo boats was struck by gunfire from the Maddox. Two of the torpedo boats were seriously damaged by attacks from US Navy aircraft that had been summoned to assist the Maddox.
On August 4, 1964, the Maddox and another US Navy ship, the USS Turner Joy reported that they were again engaged with suspected torpedo boats in the same waters as the first attack, and firing at multiple radar contacts and evading torpedoes. The US ships were undamaged and although no wreckage or other evidence was found, reported that two torpedo boats had been sunk.
Late in the evening on August 4, President Lyndon Johnson made a televised announcement regarding the attacks by North Vietnamese forces on the two US ships and requesting Congressional authority to undertake a military response. The North Vietnamese government acknowledged that the first incident had occurred claiming that their boats had been fired on first, but denied that the second incident had occurred.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara Presenting the Incident
On August 5 President Johnson publicly ordered a retaliatory strike against North Vietnam stating that "The determination of all Americans to carry out our full commitment to the people and to the government of South Vietnam will be redoubled by this outrage." Within two hours US Navy aircraft attacked four North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases and an oil storage facility.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara appeared before joint sessions of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees on August 6 to provide details of the attacks from the previous days. He described the missions of the US ships as having been routine patrols of the type "we carry out all over the world at all times" and maintained that nothing had been done to provoke the attacks.
After deliberation and floor debate, Congress voted on a joint resolution on August 10, authorizing the president "to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the South East Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom." Officially titled "A Joint Resolution 'To Promote the Maintenance of International Peace and Security of Southeast Asia'", the resolution passed with a vote of 416 - 0 in the House and 88 - 2 in the Senate. President Johnson signed the measure later in the day.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution provided the legal justification for the further US escalation of the conflict in Vietnam. Shortly after the signing the US sent the first of many deployments of combat troops to South Vietnam and the start of a lengthy bombing campaign against targets in the North.
On August 4, 1964, the Maddox and another US Navy ship, the USS Turner Joy reported that they were again engaged with suspected torpedo boats in the same waters as the first attack, and firing at multiple radar contacts and evading torpedoes. The US ships were undamaged and although no wreckage or other evidence was found, reported that two torpedo boats had been sunk.
Late in the evening on August 4, President Lyndon Johnson made a televised announcement regarding the attacks by North Vietnamese forces on the two US ships and requesting Congressional authority to undertake a military response. The North Vietnamese government acknowledged that the first incident had occurred claiming that their boats had been fired on first, but denied that the second incident had occurred.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara Presenting the Incident
On August 5 President Johnson publicly ordered a retaliatory strike against North Vietnam stating that "The determination of all Americans to carry out our full commitment to the people and to the government of South Vietnam will be redoubled by this outrage." Within two hours US Navy aircraft attacked four North Vietnamese torpedo boat bases and an oil storage facility.
Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara appeared before joint sessions of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees on August 6 to provide details of the attacks from the previous days. He described the missions of the US ships as having been routine patrols of the type "we carry out all over the world at all times" and maintained that nothing had been done to provoke the attacks.
After deliberation and floor debate, Congress voted on a joint resolution on August 10, authorizing the president "to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the South East Asia Collective Defense Treaty requesting assistance in defense of its freedom." Officially titled "A Joint Resolution 'To Promote the Maintenance of International Peace and Security of Southeast Asia'", the resolution passed with a vote of 416 - 0 in the House and 88 - 2 in the Senate. President Johnson signed the measure later in the day.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution provided the legal justification for the further US escalation of the conflict in Vietnam. Shortly after the signing the US sent the first of many deployments of combat troops to South Vietnam and the start of a lengthy bombing campaign against targets in the North.