aug 2, 1964 - Gulf of Tonkin Incident
Description:
Near territorial waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, a US Destroyer ship is attacked by North Vietnamese ships. This leads to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which drastically increases US involvement in the Vietnam War and provides additional war powers to President Johnson. The US claims that a second attack happened on Aug. 4, two days later, however, this was later proven to be a farce successfully attempting to increase support for more drastic US involvement.The US experiences a split at home regarding how to respond. Those who support US involvement are referred to as "hawks," while those against it are called "doves."
Added to timeline:
Date:
aug 2, 1964
Now
~ 60 years ago