StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

The Gulf of Tonkin incident - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The Gulf of Tonkin incident is described as the beginning of large scale involvement of America in the Vietnam War. It was triggered by attacks on two US warships USS Maddox and the USS Turner Joy. These attacks took place on 2nd and 4th of August 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER91.1% of users find it useful
The Gulf of Tonkin incident
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Gulf of Tonkin incident"

Download file to see previous pages

The mutual distrust of the allies against each other resulted into great animosity and gave rise to war tendencies. It led to the arms and missiles race between USA and Soviet Russia. Neither sides fought a direct war against each other, considering the appalling consequences, but they constantly fought for control and power through their proxy countries. Devastating effects of these proxy wars can still be observed world over. The cold war proceeded through Berlin Blockade, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cuban Missile Crisis, and Soviet-Afghan War and on.

Each of these wars had its disastrous and long running effects on the world history. Vietnam War amongst these proved to be a non-repairable mistake for America in the long run. In the cold war era America suffered severe setbacks in its war against communism. Ex: Cuban incident, Berlin wall, military losses in Laos. It was becoming extremely important to re-establish America's position on the world map. Irrespective of this, for years historians have debated America's entry and position in seemingly hopeless situation such as Vietnam War.

With this loss of face against communism, since Kennedy administration, it became all the more essential for President Lyndon Johnson to prove himself as a warrior against of peace which he projected himself as, throughout the Gulf of Tonkin crisis. The secret mission of patrolling on North Vietnam coast was undertaken and was named as Desoto by the Pentagon. On 31st of July 1964, American destroyer USS Maddox began electronic intelligence collection mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. On 2nd of August Maddox claimed that it was attacked by the North Vietnam P4 patrol torpedo boats in international waters.

However the Maddox claimed to evade the torpedo attacks and had to fire back in order to defend itself. Maddox suffered very minor damages in the attack. It claimed that out of the three North-Vietnamese patrol boats, one has sunk and the other has been heavily damaged. Maddox was later joined by another destroyer Turner Joy in South Vietnamese waters. Second Attack:On 4th of August Maddox launched another Desoto patrol on the coast of North Vietnam. Turner Joy was also accompanying Maddox. The destroyers claimed to have received signals indicating attack from the North Vietnamese navy.

The firing went on for 2 hours targets based on radar and radio signals and electronic and visual reports of the enemy. Captain Herrick sent in his message sent to Washington suggested, "Review of action makes many reported contacts, and torpedoes fired to be doubtful. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonar men may have accounted for many reports. No actual visual sightings by Maddox. Suggest completed evaluation of the situation before any action is taken" *. Herrick also recommended a thorough review of the situation before any decision or action to be implemented.

He also stated that there could have been misunderstanding due to weather being highly unstable and unclear. The reports of torpedoes being fired were also doubtful as the torpedoes were heard and not seen. Chances were the sound of torpedoes could have been sound of the propeller, which was mistaken.Both

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Gulf of Tonkin incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1525428-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident
(The Gulf of Tonkin Incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 Words)
https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1525428-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident.
“The Gulf of Tonkin Incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/miscellaneous/1525428-the-gulf-of-tonkin-incident.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Gulf of Tonkin incident

Chain of Command

In the highest seat of power, peace with the employ of superior force is inherent in its mission as President Johnson concluded in his report on The Gulf of Tonkin incident (1964) that firmness in the right is indispensable today for peace; that firmness will always be measured.... Report on The Gulf of Tonkin incident (August 4, 1964)....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Choose from the book

Question # 6 The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred on the East coast of North Vietnam and to the West Coast of Hainan Island.... Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Section1 Question # 1 The name of the plan, for the Allied invasion of Europe, was Overlord, and it was executed on 6TH June 1944, on the French coast of Normandy, marking the end of French occupation by Germany....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Compare and Contrast the Views of Howard Zinns Presentation of the Vietnam War

When considering The Gulf of Tonkin incident the two textbooks have slightly different perspectives.... While the American Promise acknowledges that there might be more to the attacks than was initially reported by the United States government, Zinn goes considerably farther in claiming that the gulf of tonkin attacks were faked by the United States to escalate the war....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Rules of Engagement

It was not until The Gulf of Tonkin incident in the August of 1964 that U.... It analyses the lack of rapport between the civilian government and the military that existed then, and the frustration of the military… It was felt at the time that rules of engagement were designed more to serve a political purpose and thwart Soviet and Chinese intervention rather than to win the war....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The legal restrictions of race and whiteness

uestion # 6 The Gulf of Tonkin incident occurred on the East coast of North Vietnam and to the West Coast of Hainan Island.... Vietnamese torpedo patrol boats attacked the American destroyer Maddox marking the official involvement of the United States of America involvement in the Vietnam… It was a village with 700 people South East of a United States army base in Danang....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The report “The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution” will look at The Gulf of Tonkin incident, which was the turning point in the Cold War struggle for Southeast and the clash between naval forces of U.... hellip; The author states that the controversy about The Gulf of Tonkin incident came out after 40 years later when National Security Agency (NSA) declassified and released this material to the public”.... ldquo;The controversy about The Gulf of Tonkin incident came out after 40 years later when National Security Agency (NSA) declassified and released this material to the public”....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

Vietnam

This was called The Gulf of Tonkin incident, which in return received a resolution, wherein the U.... It was the time when the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) members along with the United States attempted to prevent Communism while the national… The United States suffered great losses and it was a yardstick for future foreign conflict and policies....
2 Pages (500 words) Admission/Application Essay

Geneva Accord of 1954

“Case Closed: The Gulf of Tonkin incident.... ulf of Tonkin Resolution Gulf of Tonkin resolution was United States Congress response to the gulf of tonkin resolution incident where US ships in the gulf of tonkin had been attacked by North Vietnamese....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us