The Gulf of Tonkin incident has stirred controversies that have persisted for decades. Classified documents and tapes, that were once classified, have been released recently. These materials have paved the way to the possibility that distorted facts led to the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
There is no arguing the fact that a North Vietnamese patrol boat attacked the USS Maddox while the destroyer was in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 2nd, 1964. What is in contention are the subsequent actions of the United States officials in the coming days. The actions taken by the officials in Washington has been shrouded in mystery ever since that night.
Hundreds of documents have been declassified and released to the public. These documents have helped show what transpired in the Gulf of Tonkin. The papers include phone transcripts, interviews, radio messages, and chronologies of the Tonkin events developed by officials at the Department of Defense. These documents provide compelling evidence about the ensuing decisions that led to the United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
Raids in the Gulf of Tonkin …show more content…
The Defense Department conceived and oversaw the activities, along with the support of the Central Intelligence Agency, and carried out by the South Vietnamese Navy. South Vietnamese soldiers suffered heavy casualties and many were captured during the initial stages. In July 1964, Lieutenant General William C. Westmoreland, commander of the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, shifted the operation's tactics from commando attacks on land to shore bombardments using mortars, rockets, and recoilless rifles fired from South Vietnamese patrol boats (Tonnesson,