Gulf+of+Tonkin+Incident+(August+2+and+4,+1964)

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident refers to two different incidents in the Gulf of Tonkin, one of which was completely fictional. On July 31, 1964, the USS Maddox began a recon mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. On August 1, the USS Maddox approached within gun range of the island of Hon Me. The next afternoon, three North Vietnamese torpedo boats attacked the destroyer. The attack was ultimately unsuccessful.

On August 3 the USS Maddox and the USS C. Turner Joy went back into the Gulf of Tonkin to continue the mission. On the night of August 4, another attack seemed to be in progress, but it was ultimately proven to be false.

President Johnson believed that an attack had occurred, and in response he ordered retaliatory air strikes, also known as Operation Pierce Arrow.

The incidents helped President Johnson's public image, and he saw an excuse for more U.S. action in Vietnam.

=Sources=

Tucker, Spencer C. "Gulf of Tonkin Incident." The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War. Second Edition. Volume I. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.

Prados, John. "The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later." National Security Archive. (2004): n. page. Web. 21 Dec. 2011. .