What is the true history of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident?

Even though the United States government portrayed the Gulf of Tonkin incidents on the
2nd and 4th of August in 1964 as unprovoked attacks, the primary sources to support the event
of August 4th in time proved to be false; whereas the attack on the second is believed to be
true.
Although the attack on the fourth of August were proven false, in a document from a
Vietnamese People's Conference, the spokesman from the Vietnamese people's army made a
formal statement that the attack of the 4th of August in 1964 was a false event. They denied
the attack because it never happened. Yet, after they denied the accusation of the attack on the
4th, they never denied the attacks on the second. Why would a country on the brink of war deny
one attack but not the other? Because they felt as the first attack was a justified means of
defense. Although the U.S.S Maddox was in international water, the Vietnam People's Army felt
as they were also in their territorial waters. They felt directly threatened by this permanent
placement of the Maddox. Not only was the ship stationed there, they also on many occasions
seized fishing boats. Fundamentally, the attack on the 2nd of August did indeed occur and in
turn the Gulf of Tonkin incident is partially true.
Despite the people on the Maddox claiming to have been attacked by the
Vietnamese people on the 2nd and 4th of August, there is no proof that the incident on
the 4th took place. Captain Herrick, the captain of the U.S.S Maddox, sent a telegram to the
Department of State at 1:30 am on August 4th 1964, Torpedoes fired appear doubtful- Freak
weather effects on radar and overeager sonarman may have accounted for many reports. No
actual visual sightings by the Maddox. (Herrick, #3) This is a primary source from the night of
the supposed attack, and this clearly shows how there is no evidence for any sort of attack on
that night. After the first attacks on August 2nd, the U.S found the shellings from missiles fired at
the Maddox belonging to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. They had solid proof, something
missing from the attack on the 4th. The Vietnamese people actually owned up to the shellings
of their bombs being found in a formal statement at a press conference. Yet, even the
Vietnamese people didnt verify the attack on the fourth as they did for the second, implying that
it never occurred.
While the U.S justified deploying ground troops in vietnam as a mean of retaliation
in turn creating all out warfare, there are underlying reasons on why the U.S would want
to instigate war with the North Vietnamese people. The U.S believed that if one part of
Indochina was to fall to Communism the rest would fall with them, creating a domino effect.
McGeorge Bundy, the Special Assistant for National Security Affairs, sent a document
containing recommendations to President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 25 1964 stating, The U.S
cannot tolerate the loss of Southeast Asia to Communism. Without a decision to resort to
military action if necessary the present prospect is not hopeful, in South Vietnam or Laos. The
President obviously took this advice to heart because when he was faced with alleged attacks,
he set out to take military action. The President addressed the Congress of the United States on
August 7th with the proposal of maintaining the peace and security in Southeast Asia. He went
about maintaining the peace by inferring members of Congress to be traitors against their
President unless they would agree to give him, All necessary measures to repel any armed
attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent any further aggression. With this
power, he could start a war if he felt it was justified. These reasons of Indochina falling to

Communism and protecting the security of America to initiate war with the Northern Vietnamese
are unjust.
Ultimately, the Gulf of Tonkin incidents are a controversial and confusing set of events so
noone really knows what occurred there in those days. Yet, I can be sure, based on the
evidence that I have collected, that the attack of the second happened and the attack of the
fourth is an elaborate lie.