The Tonkin Gulf Explain (free post)
Hey guys!! So I've mention before how Im taking a conspiracy class in college, and while I know most of the conspiracy that we have talk about in class this one I didnt. And I thought I would share and it is the beginning of the huge mistrust in our government.
The USS Maddox was a US destroyer carrying out the DeSoto patrols in the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of North Vietnam in international waters. On August 2, 1964, the USS Maddox was attacked by North Vietnam patrols torpedo boats. Only two short days later on August 4 the destroyer once again opened fire on North Vietnam boats to defend themselves from an attack. As this was the second unwarranted attack on a US ship, American officials sought this as grounds for officially declaring war on North Vietnam. However, around 40 years later in 2005 and 2006, two hundred documents regarding the events and following action taken by US officials were released, revealing that the second attack was a misinterpretation of radars and there was no second attack.
The release of these documents which consisted of transcripts, interviews, SIGINT messages, chronologies, and phone tapes between US officials, led to an increase in the skeptical belief that US Officials intentionally misinterpreted the events of August 4 to give the US an undisputable reason enter the Vietnam war. At the head of this conspiracy are President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara.
The 1960s were some of the most divisive and tumultuous times for Americans. Following the Second World War and McCarthyism-the second red scare-, the fear of communism was still at the front of every American mind as America was deep in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Even though they were allies during WWII, the conflicting ideology between the US and the Soviet Union, democratic capitalism and authoritarian communism respectively, grew as the Soviet Union instilled satellite governments in its allied countries in Eastern Europe and North Vietnam. The US saw the expansion the communism threaten to the free world and even though the two superpowers never fought directly, they would fight a series of proxy wars, which the Vietnam War fell into.
On top of the Cold War America was also dealing with the assassination of President Kennedy whom Lydon Johnson would take over for. Kennedy was committed to fighting the communist insurgency in Vietnam, as he increased US military aid to South Vietnam from 700 troops in 1961 to 16,000 troops by 1963. Both Johnson and McNamara were in support of escalating the war in Vietnam. Johnson would inherit this war when he was sworn in imminently following Kenndy’s death. Johnson would also inherit the stress of reelection as it was more important for him since he needed to be seen as having earned the presidential title through election and not just inheritance. Johnson would also have to battle the idea that the Democrats were the pro-war party for several of the last wars America was involved in were under a democratic president.
The escalation of American influence in the Vietnam War in early 1964 led to OPLAN 34A raids which were conceived and overseen by the US Department of Defense but carried out by the South Vietnamese Navy according to “The Truth about Tonik” by Paterson. While the OPLAN raids were taking place the US was also carrying out the DeSoto patrols, which were intelligence-gathering missions. The released documents would also reveal that one of the DeSoto's main missions was to gather intelligence that would aid the raid operation. On August 2nd, south Vietnam carried out 2 raids on Hon Me and Hon Ngu islands, while the USS Maddox was surveilling independently of the raids in the Tonic Gulf. North Vietnam would attack the destroyer later that day, however, North Vietnamese PT boats would go significantly damaged even leaving one dead in the water.
On August 4th the condition in the Gulf severally worsened with thunderstorms and 6-foot-high waves. The USS Maddox and now the Turner Joy, came to offer reinforcement, interpreted a message from North Vietnam and its allies that morning indicating that North Vietnam was planning an offensive attack. That night both ships reported unidentified vessels on their radar coming from multiple and in defense started rapidly firing weapons. After the supposed attack, Commander Stockdale flew over the scene just to find only the American ships and their firepower and no North Vietnam PT boats. Captain of The Maddox, Herrick would also conclude that there were no enemy boats the radars were only picking up tops of waves and the crew was only hearing propellors reflecting on its rudder. Still the next morning Herrick reported the incident to Grant Sharp but was still unsure of the events of the night. However, Herrick would change his story in the following report and consider the attack certain. Another SIGINT message intercepted reported North Vietnamese losses from the attack. This along with Herrick’s report gave McNamara enough conclusive proof. Johnson would announce his intent to retaliate. On August 7, congress approved the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which officially entered America into the Vietnam War.
The release of the 200 documents, suggests there was a deliberate attempt by McNamara to distort and mislead Congress to go into the Vietnam War. It became increasingly apparent that the intelligence message intercepted about North Vietnamese losses was from the August 2nd attacks and not the 4th. Furthermore, it became abundantly clear that there was no attack on August 4th. Also, 90% of other intelligence intercepts that provided conflicting accounts about August 4th were conveniently left out of reports when sent to the Pentagon and the White House. Johnson and McNamara would also cherry-pick through the reports to deliberately distort the truth that would fit their narrative that North Vietnam did attack us ships without reason.McNamara would also lie about his knowledge of the 34A raids as he would claim in a news conference where he denied the knowledge of them but would later admit to President Johnson that the events of August 2nd and 4th were connected to the raids. President Johnson even had his doubts about the events of August 4th however he would still support the escalation and the declaration of war on North Vietnam. McNarama’s action of deception probably only escalated the US’s involvement in the war as it would probably have happened eventually but this would create a dangerous precedent of recklessness, especially since the Tonkin Gulf resolution overlooked precautionary measures of Congress's opinion which deliberately goes against the checks and balance system of the US government. The true intentions of Johnson and McNamara may never be known, however, the evidence along with the historical context could point that Johnson and McNamara purposely distorted the truth with the intention of going to war because Johnson needed undisputed proof to go to war with North Vietnam to stay in good standing with congress and the American public. With all that being said Well, What do I Know?
