In a conversation with Johnson, McNamara confirmedthis, with a reference to OP-CON 34A,acovert operation against the North Vietnamese. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. A lesser-known fact is that Jim Morrisons father, Captain George Stephen Morrison, commanded the Carrier Division during the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The North Vietnamese coastal radars also tracked and reported the positions of U.S. aircraft operating east of the ships, probably the combat air patrol the Seventh Fleet had ordered in support. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. The first Desoto Mission was conducted by USS Craig (DD-885) in March 1964. That initial error shaped all the subsequent assessments about North Vietnamese intentions, as U.S. SIGINT monitored and reported the Norths tracking of the two American destroyers. NSA officials handed the key August SIGINT reports over to the JCS investigating team that examined the incident in September 1964. In turn, that means The attack is a signal to us that the North Vietnamese have the will and determination to continue the war." This was the first of several carefully worded official statements aimed at separating 34A and Desoto and leaving the impression that the United States was not involved in the covert operations.9 Then they boarded their boats and headed back to Da Nang.12 Subscribe to receive our weekly newsletter with top stories from master historians. The Maddox was attacked at 1600. He spoke out against banning girls education. WebKnown today as the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, this event spawned the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 7 August 1964, ultimately leading to open war between North Vietnam and WebThe Gulf of Tonkin While Kennedy had at least the comforting illusion of progress in Vietnam (manufactured by Harkins and Diem), Johnson faced a starker picture of confusion, disunity, and muddle in Saigon and of a rapidly growing Viet Cong in the countryside. They are part and parcel of a continuing Communist drive to conquer South Vietnam. 9. Approved on Aug. 10, 1964, the Southeast Asia (Gulf of Tonkin) Resolution, gave Johnson the power to use military force in the region without requiring a declaration At 1505, when the torpedo boats had closed within 10,000 yards, in accordance with Captain Herricks orders and as allowed under international law at that time, Maddox fired three warning shots. The disclaimer is required, if for no other reason than because of Chapter 15, "The American Response to the Gulf of Tonkin Attacks," about which more later. The Americans claimed they sank two torpedo boats and damaged a third, while the torpedo boats claimed to have shot down two American aircraft. In fact, the North Vietnamese were trying to avoid contact with U.S. forces on August 4, and they saw the departure of the Desoto patrol ships as a sign that they could proceed to recover their torpedo boats and tow them back to base. He reported those doubts in his after action report transmitted shortly after midnight his time on August 5, which was 1300 hours August 4 in Washington. 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 Joseph C. Goulden, Truth Is the First Casualty: The Gulf of Tonkin AffairIllusion and Reality (Chicago: Rand McNally & Co., 1969), p. 80. 313-314. 14. The stage was set. Then North Vietnams naval authorities either became confused or were seized by indecision. Here's why he couldn't walk away. He also requested air support. $22. In the end the Navy agreed, and in concert with MACV, took steps to ensure that "34A operations will be adjusted to prevent interference" with Desoto patrols.7 This did not mean that MACV did not welcome the information brought back by the Desoto patrols, only that the two missions would not actively support one another. Any escalation in the bombing of the North risked provoking the Russians or, more likely, the Chinese. 1, Vietnam 1964 (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1992), p. 611. Maddox detected the torpedo boats on radar at a range of almost 20,000 yards and turned away at its top speed of 32 knots. The errors made in the initial analysis were due to a combination of inexperience, limited knowledge of North Vietnams operations and an operational imperative to ensure that the U.S. Navy ships would not be caught by surprise. President, weve just had a report from the commander of that task force out there The report is that they have observed and we don't know by what means two unidentified vessels and three unidentified prop aircraft in the vicinity of the destroyers, McNamara told the president. It still is not clear whether the order was intended to halt the attack or to delay it until after nightfall, when there was a much greater chance for success. PTF-1 and PTF-5 raced toward shore. Launching on Aug. 5, Operation Pierce Arrow saw aircraft from USS Ticonderoga and USS Constellation strike oil facilities at Vinh and attack approximately 30 North Vietnamese vessels. including the use of armed force" to assist South Vietnam (the resolution passed the House 416 to 0, and the Senate 88 to 2; in January 1971 President Nixon signed legislation that included its "repeal"). Lyndon Johnson on August 5, 1964, assertedly in reaction to two The North Vietnamese turned for shore with the Maddox in pursuit. After 15 minutes of maneuvering, the F-8s arrived and strafed the North Vietnamese boats, damaging two and leaving the third dead in the water. In Saigon, General William C. Westmoreland, the new commander of Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), approved of the plan, and SOG began testing 81-mm mortars, 4.5-inch rockets, and recoilless rifles aboard the boats. "14, Nasty fast patrol boats demonstrated their versatility in the Pacific Ocean before going to Vietnam.U.S. 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. But in the pre-dawn hours of July 31, 1964, U.S.-backed patrol boats shelled two North The Vietnam War buff will find it fascinating for its wealth of detail carefully set down in understated prose (a welcome relief, I might add, from the hysterical tone that marks much Vietnam War writing). WebThe Gulf of Tonkin and the Vietnam War. The NSA report is revealing. The Maddox planned to sail to 16 points along the North Vietnam coast, ranging from the DMZ north to the Chinese border. The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) decided to resume Maddoxs Desoto patrol, but at a greater distance from the coast, accompanied by Turner Joy and supported by aircraft from Ticonderoga. ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/vietnam-war-gulf-of-tonkin-incident-2361345. Nigerians await election results in competitive race. But, interestingly, on Sept. 18, a similar incident occurred in the Gulf of Tonkin. 3. McNamara insisted that the evidence clearly indicated there was an attack on August 4, and he continued to maintain so in his book In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons From Vietnam. On 3 August, the CIA confirmed that "Hanois naval units have displayed increasing sensitivity to U.S. and South Vietnamese naval activity in the Gulf of Tonkin during the past several months. At the time, the Navy relied heavily on Naval Support Group Activity (NSGA), San Miguel, Philippines, for SIGINT support, augmented by seaborne SIGINT elements called Direct Support Units (DSUs). The Desoto patrol continued with another destroyer, the Turner Joy (DD-951), coming along to ward off further trouble. Because the North Vietnamese had fewer than 50 Swatows, most of them up north near the important industrial port of Haiphong, the movement south of one-third of its fleet was strong evidence that 34A and the Desoto patrols were concerning Hanoi. Subscribe to LBJ's War onApple Podcasts. Kennedy Hickman is a historian, museum director, and curator who specializes in military and naval history. Each boat carried a 16-man crew and a 57-mm recoilless rifle, plus machine guns. Within the year, U.S. bombers would strike North Vietnam, and U.S. ground units would land on South Vietnamese soil. National Security Agency Through the evening of Aug. 4, while no new information arrivedto clarify the eventin the Gulf, the White House narrative was firmly in place. That very night, the idea was put to the test. Both orders were repeated, but only the latter was relayed to the torpedo boats before the attack was launched. Just before midnight, the four boats cut their engines. HistoryNet.com is brought to you by HistoryNet LLC, the worlds largest publisher of history magazines. The Gulf of Tonkin act became more controversial as opposition to the war mounted. The House passed the resolution unanimously.17 Both the Phu Bai station and Maddoxs DSU knew the boats had orders to attack an enemy ship., Not knowing about the South Vietnamese commando raid, all assumed that Maddox was the target. Declassified NSA documents show that US intelligence members concealed relevant reports from Congress to push the narrative of a second attack. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution | History, Facts, & Significance It was 1964, an election year, and the Republicans had just nominated Barry Goldwater, a former jet fighter pilot, and hardcore hawk, to run against Johnson in November. History is who we are and why we are the way we are.. This is not the place to establish the final truth on the Gulf of Tonkin matter and certainly I am not the person to render the ultimate judgment. While 34A and the Desoto patrols were independent operations, the latter benefited from the increased signals traffic generated by the attacks of the former. AND THERE is the fact of Vietnam's position today. Two days later, August 4, Maddox returned to the area, supported by the destroyer Turner Joy (DD-951). Ships radar detected five patrol boats, which turned out to be P-4 torpedo boats and Swatows. For additional reading, see the recently declassified NSA study by Robert J. Hanyok, Spartans in the Darkness: American SIGINT and the Indochina War, 1945-1975; and Tonkin Gulf and The Escalation of the Vietnam War, by Edward Moise. The United States denied involvement. During a meeting at the White House on the evening of 4 August, President Johnson asked McCone, "Do they want a war by attacking our ships in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin? The Navys seaborne SIGINT effort in support of OPLAN-34, called Desoto Missions, played a key role in the events that ultimately led to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. In 2005 documents were released proving that Johnson had fabricated the Gulf of Tonkin incident in order to justify attacking North Vietnam. Arguing that he did not seek a "wider war," Johnson stated the importance of showing that the United States would "continue to protect its national interests." Interview, authors with James Hawes, 31 March 1996. There was no way to get a commando team ashore to plant demolition charges; they would have do what damage they could with the boats guns.3 8. While many facts and details have emerged in the past 44 years to persuade most observers that some of the reported events in the Gulf never actually happened, key portions of the critical intelligence information remained classified until recently. In November of 2001, the LBJ Presidential library and museum released tapes of phone conversations with the President and then Defense PTF-3 and PTF-6 broke off and streaked south for safety; they were back in port before 1200. Midday on August 1, NSGA San Miguel, the U.S. Marine Corps SIGINT detachment co-located with the U.S. Army at Phu Bai, and Maddoxs own DSU all detected the communications directing the North Vietnamese torpedo boats to depart from Haiphong on August 2. When the boats reached that point, Maddox fired three warning shots, but the torpedo boats continued inbound at high speed. Moments later, one of the crewmen spotted a North Vietnamese Swatow patrol boat bearing down on them. In fact, the United States had been waging a small, secret war against North Vietnam since 1961. The most comprehensive and authoritative history site on the Internet. He has written numerous articles on Vietnam War-era special operations and is the author of two books on the war: Formerly an analyst with the Washington-based Asian Studies Center, Mr. Conboy is vice president of Lippo Group, a large financial services institution in Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition, the destroyer USS Turner Joy began moving to support Maddox. 5. Three days later, she rendezvoused with a tanker just east of the DMZ before beginning her intelligence- gathering mission up the North Vietnamese coast. If there had been any doubt before about whose hand was behind the raids, surely there was none now. On July 31, 1964, the destroyer USS Maddox commenced a Desoto patrol off North Vietnam. This is another government conspiracy that's true. The Gulf of Tonkin incident led to the expansion of the Vietnam War that resulted in a lot of American soldier casualties. The reports conclusions about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident are particularly relevant as they offer useful insights into the problems that SIGINT faces today in combating unconventional opponents and the potential consequences of relying too heavily on a single source of intelligence. Hanoi denied the charge that it had fired on the U.S. destroyers on 4 August, calling the charge "an impudent fabrication. At each point, the ship would stop and circle, picking up electronic signals before moving on. NSA analysts from shore-based stations shared Herricks belief and transmitted an immediate warning to all major Pacific Theater commandsexcept to Herrick and Maddox. Today, it is believed that this second attack did not occur and was merely reports from jittery radar and sonar operators, but at the time it was taken as evidence that Hanoi was raising the stakes against the United States. LBJ knew the Vietnam War was a disaster in the making. Meanwhile, by late August 3, the North Vietnamese had learned the condition of their torpedo boats and ordered a salvage tug to recover the damaged craft. WebUnderground Knowledge host James Morcan discloses what really happened in 1964's Gulf of Tonkin Incident which started the Vietnam War. The U.S. ships were supposed to remain well outside North Vietnams claimed five nautical mile territorial limit. Air action is now in execution against gunboats and certain supporting facilities in North Vietnam which have been used in these hostile operations., The next day, the president addressed Congress, seeking the power to to take all necessary measures in support of freedom and in defense of peace in Southeast Asia.. Illumination rounds shot skyward, catching the patrol boats in their harsh glare. Despite McNamaras nimble answers, North Vietnams insistence that there was a connection between 34A and the Desoto patrols was only natural. His assessment of the evidence now raised doubts in his mind about what really had happened. Send the First Troops to Vietnam? The crews quietly made last-minute plans, then split up. Just after midnight on 4 August, PTF-6 turned for home, pursued by an enemy Swatow. In fact, an earlier Desoto patrol planned for February had been canceled because of concerns over potential interference with South Vietnamese commando missions scheduled for the same time. In a conversation with McNamara on Aug. 3, after the first incident, Johnson indicated he hadalready thought about the political ramifications of a military response and hadconsulted with several allies. He is the author of. Carl Otis Schuster, U.S. Navy (ret.) The Truth About Tonkin | Naval History Magazine - February 2008 Subscribe now and never hit a limit. Media reporting on the NSA reports assessments sparked a brief rehash of the old arguments about the Gulf of Tonkin. Both men believed an attack on the American ships was imminent. But we sure ought to always leave the impression that if you shoot at us, you're going to get hit, Johnson said. A brief account of the raids is in MACVSOG 1964 Command History, Annex A, 14 January 1965, pp. The two boats headed northeast along the same route they had come, then turned south for the run back to South Vietnam. The reports conclusions about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident are particularly relevant as they offer useful insights into the problems that SIGINT faces today in In this case, perception was much more important than reality.10. Thats what all the country wants, because Goldwater's raising so much hell about how he's gonna blow 'em off the moon, and they say that we oughtn't to do anything that the national interest doesn't require. "5, In reality there was little actual coordination between 34A and Desoto. Unlike McNamara, Johnson, on the morning of Aug.4,1964, was in less of a hurry to respond to an attack. McNamara did not mention the 34A raids.15. We're going to retaliate and well make an announcement a little later in the evening, in the next hour or so and well ask Congress for a resolution of war the next day to support us, Johnson toldan old friend. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN THE GULF OF TONKIN? Such arguments are rooted in the information and documents released by Daniel Ellsberg and others, and were reinforced over the decades by anniversary interviews with some of the participants, including ships crewmen and officers. Reinforced by Turner Joy, Herrick returned to the area on Aug. 4. The series of mistakes that led to the August 4 misreporting began on August 3 when the Phu Bai station interpreted Haiphongs efforts to determine the status of its forces as an order to assemble for further offensive operations. To increase the chances of success, SOG proposed increased raids along the coast, emphasizing offshore bombardment by the boats rather than inserting commandos. The historian here is obliged to deal with two basic considerations in offering up an accounting: the event itself -- that is, what actually happened there in the waters off North Vietnam in early August 1964; and the uses made of it by President Lyndon Johnson and his administration. https://www.historynet.com/case-closed-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident/, Jerrie Mock: Record-Breaking American Female Pilot, When 21 Sikh Soldiers Fought the Odds Against 10,000 Pashtun Warriors, Few Red Tails Remain: Tuskegee Airman Dies at 96. But for a band of South Vietnamese commandos and a handful of U.S. advisers, not much had changed. Shortly after ordering the airstrikes, Johnson went on television and addressed the nation regarding the incident. Around midday on Aug. 4, Adm. Grant Sharp, the top navy commander in the Pacific, made a call to the Joint Chiefs, and it was clear there were significant doubts about this second incident. Even in the darkness, the commandos could see their targeta water tower surrounded by a few military buildings.
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