Question

Hindsight card #1 for gulf of Tonkin news report august 8,1964

Answer 1

Answer:

This question is incomplete, meanwhile it is referring to the news report about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, also known as the USS Maddox incident. It happened on August 2, 1964.  

This incident involved a confrontation between American navy ship and a navy torpedo boats of the North Vietnam. Meanwhile, American authorities falsely claimed that one more confrontation occurred. All together these reports further justified American involvement and the Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975).

While, on August 2, 1964 American destroyer USS Maddox indeed provoked North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats to the firefight, a similar incident on August 4, 1964 was falsely claimed. This was concluded, in particular, based on Pentagon Papers themselves.