Gulf Of Tonkin Case Study

Throughout the history of Air Defense Artillery (ADA), innovative steps were made for the technological advance in weaponry to defend our skies and ground forces. The diverse history and continuous research and development of air defense systems played a vital role in the safety of ground troops and foreign civilians during the Persian Gulf crisis. Though not always in the forefront of battle, ADA had its own vital roles that it played from the time of its birth, and it was no different during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield when necessity helped to bring about the evolution of the PAC-II Patriot missile.

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was a series of reported confrontations between the USS Maddox on August 2nd and August 4th, 1964. The second of the two confrontations, on August 4th, was later proven to have never happened, and the legitimacy of the first confrontation on August 2nd is in question. The USS Maddox reported that on August 2nd, while patrolling in international waters, it was attacked by three North Vietnamese Torpedo Boats. President Johnson went on live television on August 4th saying that the USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy were attacked again by Vietnamese boats. He used these attacks as reason to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that granted him the use of conventional military force in Southeast Asia without a formal

On August 2,1964 a United states ship was attacked by a North Vietnamese patrol boat in the Gulf of Tonkin. The Vietnamese ship had blankley opened fire against the United States which prompted Lyndon B. Johnson to ask congress if the United States could take action against the ship who was firing upon them. With this the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed giving our president the ability to conduct war against the North which allowed him to have authority in authorization. This aspect negative because it was giving the president too much power to conduct a war in southeast asia when the south, who the United States was trying to help out. The South Vietnamese seemed to be deceitful because they didn't have any territorial, military or political ambitions, it was simply just the United States trying to help fellow peers from falling into the communist ways

The date was December 10th 1864, just a little over three years after the beginning of the civil war, and the Union Army was waiting just outside the city of Savannah. Just 25 days earlier General Sherman and his Union Army had left the city of Atlanta after its seizure and were now poised to try the same thing in Savannah . The only thing standing in their way of completing this task was the formidable Fort McAllister. The Union Army, if it were able to seize the Fort would complete the seizure of the city of Savannah and open up a valuable resupply route to the sea. The man chosen to complete this task was General William Babcock Hazen, commander of the 15th Corps.

Was the Gulf of Tonkin incident really an incident or were the 2 attacks on the USS Maddox within reason? Thus the correct historical analogy may not be Nixon's secret air campaign and incursions into Cambodia, but the Tonkin Gulf incident-the alleged pair of attacks by North Vietnamese naval forces against American destroyers that President Lyndon B. Johnson used to win public support and congressional approval for escalating the confrontation with North Vietnam. The government has ways to make information and secret operations disappear as if it never happened by making them nonexistent on paper. Is a secret operation or reconnaissance mission what the ship was doing? What was OPLAN-34A? Why did the PT (Torpedo) boats attack? Was the USS

Immediately after what has become known as the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the President asked Congress for the power to use overt military force in Vietnam without the declaration of war. At the time, however, it was extremely unclear exactly what had taken place in the Gulf and whether or not the Resolution asked for was legitimate and just. The revelation that the Gulf of Tonkin incident was a charade is presented by many ... [Even] George Ball, who was the Undersecretary of State under Johnson, spoke to Hendrickson about the “Gulf of Tonkin charade.

The United States response began as a total cover-up and progressed through many versions of the facts. After the plane was shot down, the United States’ first announcement was that an “unarmed weather research plane based at Adana, Turkey, and piloted by a civilian American” was missing. First the government stated that the pilot was a civilian employee of the Lockheed corporation flying a U-2 plane chartered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. On May 7 the State Department announced that the plane was an unarmed civilian U-2 collecting intelligence and blamed the Soviet Union’s “excessive secrecy” for our need to spy on them. In a news conference statement by President Eisenhower on May 11, he lists four points: (1) intelligence-gathering activities are needed; (2) intelligence

The article also addresses the difference between covert action and traditional military activities. Several historical instances of U.S. involvement in unconventional warfare (UW) touch upon this subject. ATP 3-05.1 Unconventional Warfare states “UW often inhabits the gray area of political engagement where it blends into warfare. It is crucial that Soldiers planning and executing UW pay careful attention to legal considerations and respect for authorities” This is a point of contention with the Title 10 and Title 50 debate as the word “covert”, and

At approximately 2100 on Fort Riley, KS, the SM was skateboarding on the sidewalk of Custer Hill with another Soldier; they were not wearing helmets. The SM fell and hit his head, knocking himself unconscious. EMS was called, and he was transported to Irwin Army Community Hospital. A CT scan revealed the SM had internal bleeding. He was immediately transported to Stormont Vail Hospital, Topeka, KS, for emergency

The My Lai incident relates to the Afghanistan shooting as they both demonstrate acts of war crimes against innocent villagers. The My Lai incident took place in a Northern part of Southern Vietnam when Lt. Calley of the 11th Brigade Charlie company took part in acts of war crimes against innocent villagers. Lieutenant Calley was charged with killing a total of 104 villagers during the My Lai Massacre. In this incident the soldiers were very irritated with the booby traps and attacks against them that killed so many of their men. This frustration was taken out on the My Lai villagers by Lieutenant Calley as a way of revenge against the Viet Cong. Even though the reasoning behind his war crimes was out of frustration, the direct perpetrator,

The investigation assesses the level of success President Richard Nixon’s Vietnamization policy attained during the Vietnam War to end U.S. involvement in the war. In the strive to evaluate the level of success this policy demonstrated, the investigation evaluates the ability of the policy to equip, expand, and train Southern Vietnamese forces and allocate them to a substantial combat position, all while simultaneously reducing the quantity of U.S. combat troops in a steady manner. The Vietnamization policy is investigated and analyzed by both its causes and effects. The motivation that led to Nixon’s creation of this

Today the 240 acres of land Fort Caswell is located on is privately owned by the North Carolina Baptist Assembly. It was purchased from the federal government in 1949 by the Baptist convention of North Carolina for a sum of 86,000 dollars. The fort currently operates as a religious retreat and, convention center for the assembly. As of today it is not open to tourist, and the historical site can only be enjoyed by guests of the Assembly, and those who are approved to rent the facilities. (southporttimes.com, 2004)

The term “Covert Action” brings with it a connotation of shadowy figures wrapped in secrecy and intrigue. It also brings with it a substantial amount of moral questions as to “what is right.” The use of covert action has been widely publicized since the early seventies, but trying to find out the truth to these events has been difficult to say the least. What is even more difficult, is historically recording these events into categories of successes or failures. These operations are difficult to dissect because of their secrecy and although events have been recorded, some facts simply aren’t apparent. This paper will seek to identify the complex issues associated with covert operations.

The United States issued the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution in 1964. It said that Congress empowered the President, as Command in Chief, "to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the U.S. and to prevent further aggression." Most importantly, the memorandum gave the President the permission to retaliate North Vietnam's threats to international peace, as the attacks were reason enough for further American involvement in Vietnam, as well as an escalation of military forces.

There was not much serious thought in escalating the Vietnam War until the Tonkin Gulf incident occurred. In the Gulf of Tonkin it was reported “that two American destroyers had been attacked by North Vietnamese PT boats on August 4, 1964,” (Friedman 293). Shortly after these incidents, “Johnson immediately escalated the war by ordering airstrikes on North Vietnam” (Friedman 293). These events made it so Johnson could raise United States involvement in Vietnam without congressional backing on his decisions. Increasing involvement in the war was appealing though because after the Tonkin Gulf incident support of military involvement in North Vietnam raised from thirty one percent approvals to fifty percent approval (Moise 226). Although approval of the amount in favor immediately after the Gulf of Tonkin incident rose, it was a “mistake on Johnson’s part… assuming that the