The Road to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident (August 1964): A view through U.S. Archival Sources

Abstract

In August 1964, the United States fabricated the Gulf of Tonkin Incident to openly escalate its destructive warfare against North Vietnam and to obstruct Hanoi’s support for the South. From 1961 to August 1964, the United States continuously undertook actions that gradually turned the incident into an alleged “reality.” Although the Gulf of Tonkin Incident was a deception orchestrated by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration, it significantly influenced U.S. policy in the war of aggression in Vietnam. It enabled President Johnson to gain the backing of Congress and political elites to officially launch the air war against North Vietnam.