Johnson's Initial Polices and Gulf of Tonkin

Question 1

Lyndon B Johnson Overview

Answer 1

• Vice president to JFK then assumed role of President
• Famed for escalating conflict
• Elected majority in 1964 but did not re stand for election 1968
• Novermber 1963 to Jan 1969

Question 2

Who did Johnson retain from JFK’s administration and what were their ideologies?

Answer 2

McNamara and Rusk
- Keen followers of containment

Question 3

Who led the doves?

Answer 3

Mike Mansfield

Question 4

What did the doves warn regarding Vietnam?

Answer 4

Only way to win war in Vietnam was to gain popular support amongst Vietnamese and create a united and neutralised state

Question 5

What was Johnson and his advisers reaction to the doves recommendation?

Answer 5

Dismissed the view by saying that this would be unnecessary if Diem’s successors introduced the political, economic and social reforms that were required in the South then US intervention would not be necessary

Question 6

Americanised definition

Answer 6

Situation where the US would have direct control of the conduct of war

Question 7

Neutralism definition

Answer 7

Scheme proposed by France that called for negotiated settlement and end South’s military links leaving it exposed to North

Question 8

When was OPLAN 34A?

Answer 8

Jan 1964

Question 9

What was OPLAN 34A?

Answer 9

Strategy based on convert action
‘progressively escalating pressure to inflict increasing punishment upon North Vietnam’

Question 10

What was the increase of military advisers in Vietnam at the start of J’s administration?

Answer 10

16,000 to 23,300

Question 11

When was the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 11

2nd August 1964

Question 12

Summary of the first attack on the Gulf of Tonkin

Answer 12

N.V boats fired at USS Maddox but attack failed and 1 N.V boat sunk and 2 damaged

Question 13

What happened 2 days after the Gulf of Tonkin incident?

Answer 13

Maddox and Turner Joy reported 2nd attack although great doubt to whether the incident actually occurred

Question 14

What did Johnson order on the 4th August 1964?

Answer 14

Bombing of N.V naval bases

Question 15

When was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution?

Answer 15

7th August 1964

Question 16

What did the Resolution allow?

Answer 16

Gave Johnson the authority to take ‘all necessary measures’ and ‘all necessary steps’ to stop aggression and defend US forces in South-East Asia

Question 17

What was the resolution also known as and what does it mean?

Answer 17

Blank Cheque
- A situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefore subject to abuse

Question 18

When was the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution originally drafted?

Answer 18

6 months prior to the attack

Question 19

How did the US provoke the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?

Answer 19

By assisting the South Vietnamese in mounting secret military attacks against the North Vietnamese

Question 20

What happened in the run up to the November election 1964?

Answer 20

NLF carried out a series of attacks and only two days before the election, the US air base near Saigon was mortared and four Americans were killed