Examining the Gulf of Tonkin Crisis Being Lyndon Johnson

Directions It is 1964, and you want to support the government of South Vietnam as it resists communist influence by North Vietnam. The Cold War is on and you fear that if South Vietnam becomes a communist country, the whole region could become communist. This would be contrary to the Policy of Containment the United States has been following since the end of World War II. Each of the following slides is going to explain a situation in Vietnam that President Johnson had to deal with. Read the situations carefully. Then, choose which choice YOU would choose if you were in Lyndon Johnson’s position, and add your answer to the slide.

Situation 1 You would like to discourage communist North Vietnam from interfering in America-friendly South Vietnam. You: A. Declare war on North Vietnam and attack the nation using the U.S. Armed Forces. B. Secretly support the South Vietnamese government with weapons and advisors to attack North Vietnam. C. Refuse to interfere in the political balance in the region. I would choose option…

Situation 2 To better support South Vietnam, you wish to gather intelligence that you can send to your South Vietnamese friends. You: A. Send an American ship to the coast of North Vietnam to engage in audio surveillance. B. Encourage the South Vietnamese to use their own ships and then to relay any information they discover. C. Refuse to violate North Vietnamese territorial waters. I would choose option…

Situation 3 On the same day that you conduct audio surveillance, there are South Vietnamese attacks in the same region. Believing your U.S. destroyer was responsible for the attacks, the North Vietnamese have launched several torpedo boats against you. You: A. Outrun the attacking crafts and head into international waters avoiding contact. B. Attack the small crafts as they reach your ship. C. Take advantage of you position to attack the North Vietnamese coast while eluding torpedoes. I would choose option…

Situation 4 There have just been a series of hostile events between you and the North Vietnamese. You are aware that an open war might begin between the United States and North Vietnam if more events like this happen. You: A. Remove your ship from the region, favoring a covert approach to dealing with the North Vietnamese. B. Open formal negotiations with the North Vietnamese to end hostilities. C. Order more ships into the region to back up your destroyer. I would choose option…

Situation 5 It has been two days since the first attack on your destroyer. You are certain that more attacks could follow. You: A. Design a response plan to further attacks that includes hitting strategic targets on the North Vietnamese coast. B. Order your regional commanders to respond only to attacking craft. C. Launch a series of strikes on the North Vietnamese coast before they attack I would choose option…

Situation 6 You are receiving a series of reports from your commanders off the coast of North Vietnam that your ships are once again under attack. You: A. Order the immediate execution of preplanned strikes on North Vietnamese targets. B. Wait until it is morning in Vietnam before launching strikes so your commanders can confirm the attacks. C. Withdraw all U.S. naval craft from the region using air support for cover. I would choose option…

Situation 7 Now that the smoke has cleared, it seems that there was probably no second attack. Nevertheless, you have launched a series of retaliatory strikes on North Vietnam. You: A. Use the United Nations to make a formal apology for American attacks. B. Return to your previous policy of providing covert support to the South Vietnamese. C. Continue your aggressive response and request funding from Congress to increase your military efforts. I would choose option…

Now go back! Research each of the seven situations to find the actual response taken by President Johnson during the Gulf of Tonkin Crisis. Insert a slide after each situation stating the actual action Lyndon Johnson took. Include information from the website you found the answer from, and the URL of the website used. Each slide must use information from a different website. You cannot use Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, or any similar websites for your research.

Save this to your H Drive. Submit on class webpage. Get a copy of the Cause and Effects of Vietnam War handout and highlight the obvious causes and the long-term effects. Staple on to Vietnam War page into your booklet.