Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)

Question 1

How many advisers had Johnson sent in by end of 1964?

Answer 1

20,000

Question 2

What did Johnson want Congress to do?

Answer 2

Authorise US troops in Vietnam but didn’t bring it up as it was election year

Question 3

What were the two US navy ships that patrolled Gulf of Tonkin?

Answer 3

Maddox and C. Turner

Question 4

What did small US boats secretly do and how did N. Vietnamese respond?

Answer 4

Secretly carried ARVN troops to raid N. Vietnamese territory and ships. N. Vietnamese responded in anger

Question 5

How did N. Vietnamese respond on 2nd August?

Answer 5

Fired torpedo boats and Maddox fired back and withdrew when US planes arrived

Question 6

What happened on 4th August of Gulf Of Tonkin?

Answer 6

During a storm, both US Navy ships allegedly sunk two enemy boats based on enemy communication; many years later determined to be false

Question 7

How did Johnson react to the confusion on the 4th August?

Answer 7

Ignored it and ordered US planes to strike N. Vietnamese targets

Question 8

How many of the US jets Johnson sent in were shot down?

Answer 8

2

Question 9

What happened on 5th August of Gulf of Tonkin?

Answer 9

Johnson asked Congress to give him the power to stop future attacks on US forces by communist aggressors in Southeast Asia

Question 10

What happened on 7th August 1964?

Answer 10

Congress passed The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution that gave President Johnson wartime power to stop attacks on US forces without consulting Congress. This included sending troops to Vietnam. Resolution wasn’t a declaration of war on N. Vietnam but had the same effect

Question 11

What did the Resolution allow Johnson go escalate?

Answer 11

US military involvement

Question 12

Why didn’t Johnson want to officially declare war?

Answer 12

It would lead to conflict with China and USSR

Question 13

How did N. vietnam react to resolution?

Answer 13

Took it as a declaration of war and increased involvement in South Vietnam

Question 14

What increased between Nov 1964 and Feb 1965?

Answer 14

More people and supplies were sent south

Question 15

What did VC start to target?

Answer 15

US bases

Question 16

What fight happened in December 1964?

Answer 16

Fight at Binh Gia lasted until January and VC won

Question 17

How many helicopters were damaged or destroyed at the fight at Binh Gia?

Answer 17

50

Question 18

What did VC do on 7th January 1965?

Answer 18

Attacked US airfield at Pleiku and left 9 dead

Question 19

How much did US involvement in Vietnam cost by Feb 1965?

Answer 19

$2 million a day

Question 20

What were USA and Vietnam now committed to that they didn’t want?

Answer 20

War All USA wanted was for S. Vietnam to be a protected democratic nationAll N. Vietnamese wanted was for S. Vietnamese to revolt and unite Vietnam

Question 21

What were some of Johnson’s advisers optimistic on?

Answer 21

How long fighting would last

Question 22

Why was it difficult to see Americans doing so poorly in the war?

Answer 22

Struggled to see a rich country struggle against N. Vietnam

Question 23

What was the most important thing to the USA at the time?

Answer 23

Keeping S. Vietnamese in power

Question 24

What did Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson all make speeches saying?

Answer 24

S. Vietnamese had to be won over by other Vietnamese to win the war

Question 25

Why did US slowly move towards sending troops to keep S. Vietnam in power?

Answer 25

Because ARVN couldn’t

Question 26

Was the Gulf of Tonkin Incident fabricated?

Answer 26

The August 2nd skirmish between the U.S. Navy and the N. Vietnames