The Gulf of Tonkin and the Vietnam War
- A fabricated incident was set up; an American destroyer (USS Maddox) was torpedoed
- Led President Johnson to install the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
- Lead to the commitment of regular ground troops and air support
- 200,000 troops in 1965- 600,00 in 1968
Summary: In 1965, President Johnson claimed that an American destroyer was allegedly torpedoed. This allegation meant that US troops were deployed to Vietnam. As a result, the Tet Offensive was launched on the American troops by the North Vietnam army.
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Quote: "If I left [the war in Vietnam] and let the Communists take over South Vietnam, then I would be seen as a coward and my nation would be seen as an appeaser, and we would both find it impossible to accomplish anything for anybody anywhere on the entire globe."
- President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964 |
Subjunctive Question: If the Tet offensive was not launched would the war have become so big?
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