1. Kennedy Assassination
Tell your partner:
Do you believe it was a conspiracy? Why or why not?
What evidence was most compelling in terms of supporting your side?

2. Gulf of Tonkin

3. President Johnson Johnson escalates troops to 500,000 Johnson:
“The communists want to rule the world, and if we don’t stand up to them, they will do it. And we’ll be slaves. Now I’m not one of those folks seeing Communists under every bed. But I do know about the principles of power, and when one side is weak, the other steps in.”

4. Gulf of Tonkin Incident
August of 1964
Johnson announced that North Vietnamese torpedo boats had attacked U.S. destroyers in international waters
This was the “Gulf of Tonkin incident”

5. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
President asked Congress for a resolution giving him authority to “take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack”
Passed in House, 88-2 in Senate
Johnson said privately that this “covered everything”

6. But…Did the Gulf of Tonkin attack really happen?

7. Mindset
What is Johnson’s mindset about Vietnam?

8. The Attacks August 2nd, 1964: August 4th, 1964: Response:
3 North Vietnamese torpedo boats fired on the USS Maddox
The Maddox fired back, hitting all 3 boats
August 4th, 1964:
Maddox was again under attack once it sailed into North Vietnamese waters
Response:
Johnson authorized an attack on the Vietnamese 30 minutes after the August 4th attack
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - authorized America’s use of force

9. The Conspiracy Theory
At the time, some people argued that the Gulf of Tonkin Attack didn’t actually occur

10. Today we will examine:
Did the Gulf of Tonkin attacks really happen?