What was happening at the time were aggressive South Vietnamese raids against the North in the same general area. This U.S. retaliation marked the nations first overt military action against the North Vietnamese. Records Show Doubts on '64 Vietnam Crisis - The New York Times On August 2, Capt. Freak weather effects on radar and overeager sonarmen may have accounted for many reports. All 18 of the witnesses testified at a hearing in Olongapo, Philippines, and their testimony is a matter of public record. For example, some of the signals intercepted during those August evenings were falsified, while others were altered to show different time receipts. "[48], According to Ray McGovern, CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990, the CIA, "not to mention President Lyndon Johnson, Defense Secretary Robert McNamara and National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy all knew full well that the evidence of any armed attack on the evening of Aug. 4, 1964, the so-called 'second' Tonkin Gulf incident, was highly dubious. [29], Sharp's claims, however, included some factually incorrect statements. Vietnam Gulf Of Tonkin False Flag Attack By US CIA In 1965 [24] On July 31, 1964, Maddox had begun her mission in the Gulf of Tonkin. The decisions made by President Lyndon B. Johnson and his top advisors, and the Congressional debate that ensued, resulted in a resolution . How Putin and Donald Tusk covered up what caused the Polish presidential plane crash in 2010. False flags are real and have been used on many occasions to advance nations into war, change regimes or radically sway public opinion. In 1995, McNamara met with former Vietnam People's Army General V Nguyn Gip to ask what happened on August 4, 1964 in the second Gulf of Tonkin Incident. They do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Security Agency. [47] Various government officials and men aboard Maddox have suggested similar theories. Oskar Schindler: how Hollywood turned a Nazi into a hero, Israel's former head of Space program says that Aliens exist and that they're among us, The secret truth about the Saddam Hussein - USA relationship, Ben & Jerrys are as 'woke' as they are hypocrites. "[33][5], "And ultimately it was concluded that almost certainly the [August 4] attack had occurred. However, with this birds eye view, something wasnt adding up. [5] In this context, on July 31, Maddox began patrols of the North Vietnamese coast to collect intelligence, coming within a few miles of Hn M island. On 30 November 2005, the National Security Agency (NSA) released the first installment of previously classified information regarding the Vietnam era, specifically the Gulf of Tonkin incident. But not every event is a false flag . 1. The U.S. vessels were now more than 100 miles away from the North Vietnamese coastline when their trackers started to light up. Additionally, he concluded that many pieces of evidence were carefully picked to distort the truth. The term is from old-timey naval warfare, where one ship flew a different nation's colors before attacking as a means to get closer to their target. [44] Various news sources, including Time, Life and Newsweek, published articles throughout August on the Tonkin Gulf incident. "[36] Johnson also referred to the attacks as having taken place "on the high seas", suggesting that they had occurred in international waters. Afraid of attackers, Captain Herrick sent flash messages to U.S. officials while desperately trying to move the ships out of harms way. In August 1964, the United States entered the Vietnam War after reports of an unprovoked attack in the Gulf of Tonkin. But the government itself wouldnt confirm Whites suspicions for decades. The original account from the Pentagon Papers has been revised in light of a 2005 internal NSA historical study,[5] which stated on page 17: At 1500G, Captain Herrick (commander of Maddox) ordered Ogier's gun crews to open fire if the boats approached within ten thousand yards. The Gulf of Tonkin incident, like others in our nation's history, has become the center of considerable controversy and debate. Captain Herrick radioed that the USS Maddox was under attack, and U.S. officials ordered nearby aircraft from the USS Ticonderoga to fly in as backup. In actuality the destroyers were on an espionage mission in waters claimed by North Vietnam and were the ones who opened fire on the North Vietnamese boats and sunk all three of them after a brief firefight. Because the enemy's flag, instead of the flag of the real country of the attacking ship, was hung, it was called a "false flag" attack. In 1981, Captain Herrick and journalist Robert Scheer re-examined Herrick's ship's log and determined that the first torpedo report from August 4, which Herrick had maintained had occurredthe "apparent ambush"was in fact unfounded. He contended in speeches to Congress that the actions taken by the United States were actions outside the constitution and were "acts of war rather than acts of defense. They also forbade the political interference of other countries in the area, the creation of new governments without the stipulated elections, and foreign military presence. The floodgates had opened. [30] Moreover it officially claimed a 12nmi limit, which is practically identical to the old 20km French claim, after the incidents of August, in September 1964. President Lyndon Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara meet with Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky in Honolulu. The U.S. government was still seeking evidence on the night of August 4 when Johnson gave his address to the American public on the incident; messages recorded that day indicate that neither Johnson nor McNamara was certain of an attack. Then read these 27 Vietnam War facts that will change the way you think about American history. Shortly before Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, he had begun a limited withdrawal of 1,000 U.S. forces before the end of 1963. According to Edwin Mose, the Hanoi government (which, unlike the U.S. government, had to give permission at the highest levels for the conduct of such missions) probably assumed that they were all a coordinated effort to escalate military actions against North Vietnam. The LBJ Presidential tapes, declassified and released in 2001, prove that LBJ knew the Tonkin incident never happened, prior to the war. In contrast to the clear conditions two days earlier, thunderstorms and rain squalls reduced visibility and increased wave heights to six feet. Herrick proposed a "complete evaluation before any further action taken. Obama's real legacy makes him one of the worst US presidents of all time. [34] Although information obtained well after the fact supported Captain Herrick's statements about the inaccuracy of the later torpedo reports as well as the 1981 Herrick and Scheer conclusion about the inaccuracy of the first, indicating that there was no North Vietnamese attack that night, at the time U.S. authorities and all of the Maddox's crew stated that they were convinced that an attack had taken place. Fifty years since the Gulf of Tonkin incident which triggered the During the summer of 1964, President Johnson and the Joint Chiefs of Staff were eager to widen the war in Vietnam. Theme: Bushwick by James Dinsdale. [34], In the face of growing uncertainties over the course of the day regarding whether the attack had occurred, the Johnson administration ended up basing its conclusion that it had mostly on communications intercepts erroneously assessed to be North Vietnamese preparations to carry out an attack and a North Vietnamese after action report. [45] Time reported: "Through the darkness, from the West and south intruders boldly sped at least six of them they opened fire on the destroyers with automatic weapons, this time from as close as 2,000 yards. As we approach the 51st anniversary of the passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, an act that essentially kicked off the "hot" portion of the Vietnam War, we had an opportunity on The Liberty Brothers Radio Show to interview a man who was in the Gulf of Tonkin 51 years ago this week. More Proof Gulf of Tonkin Was False Flag | Third Rail Blog [10] Gip confirmed that the attack had been imaginary. Aurora CO shooting. "[34] It is likely that McNamara did not inform either the president or Admiral U. S. Grant Sharp Jr. about Herrick's misgivings or Herrick's recommendation for further investigation. The commander of the Maddox task force, Captain John Herrick, reported that the ships were being attacked by North Vietnamese boats when in fact, there were no North Vietnamese boats in the area. Viet Minh political cadres, who were legally campaigning for the promised elections between 1955 and 1957, were suppressed by the government. The U.S. built a fortification 150km inside the Mexican border. [5], Shortly before midnight, on August 4, Johnson interrupted national television to make an announcement in which he described an attack by North Vietnamese vessels on two U.S. Navy warships, Maddox and Turner Joy, and requested authority to undertake a military response. I think it is now clear [the second attack] did not occur" Defense Secretary Robert McNamara[7], One hour later, Herrick sent another cable, stating, "Entire action leaves many doubts except for apparent ambush at beginning. After learning about the Gulf of Tonkin incident, check out these photos from the anti-Vietnam War movement. [50], John McNaughton suggested in September 1964 that the U.S. prepare to take actions to provoke a North Vietnamese military reaction, including plans to use DESOTO patrols North. The Gulf of Tonkin incident is the name given to two separate confrontations involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. On the night of Aug. 4, the Pentagon proclaimed that a second attack by North Vietnamese PT boats had occurred earlier that day in the Tonkin Gulf a report cited by President Johnson as he went on national TV that evening to announce a momentous escalation in the war: air strikes against North Vietnam. An F8 Crusader from the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga flew overhead for ninety minutes and failed to locate any North Vietnamese ships attacking the "Maddox" and "Turner" on august 4. U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage CommandThe North Vietnamese torpedo boats under fire, as photographed on board the USS Maddox. ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE! History of American False Flag Operations . Questions about the Gulf of Tonkin incident have persisted for more than 40 years. PolitiFact | False flags: They're real, but far less widespread than Later investigation revealed that the second attack never happened; the American claim is that it was based mostly on erroneously interpreted communications intercepts. [51], Although Maddox had been involved in providing intelligence support for South Vietnamese attacks at Hn M and Hn Ng, Johnson denied, in his testimony before Congress, that the U.S. Navy had supported South Vietnamese military operations in the Gulf. Robert S. McNamara and the Real Tonkin Gulf Deception How The Gulf Of Tonkin Incident Sparked The Vietnam War - All That's The Gulf of Tonkin incident, like others in our nation's history, has become the center of considerable controversy and debate. on the platform of Responsibility to Protect similar to the Gulf of Tonkin. Liberty Waco Oklahoma City 9/11 London 7/7 Sandy Hook The most sensational part of the history (which was excerpted and disclosed by the NSA two years ago) is the recounting of the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which a second reported North Vietnamese attack on U.S. forces, following another attack two days before, triggered a major escalation of the war. involvement in Vietnam. It is not NSA's intention to prove or disprove any one set of conclusions, many of which can be drawn from a thorough review of this material. BRITISH RIOT PHOTOS: The Brits Finally Begin to Take Back Their PowerBIG TIME! [citation needed], In 1962, the U.S. Navy began an electronic warfare support measures (intelligence gathering) program, conducted by destroyer patrols in the western Pacific, with the cover name DESOTO. The planes pilot, Commander James B. Stockdale, later wrote: I had the best seat in the house to watch and I saw no boats, no boat wakes, no boat gunfire, no torpedo wakesnothing but black sea and American firepower. Johnson had fended off proposals from McNamara and other advisers for a policy of bombing North Vietnam on four occasions since becoming president. Stockdale was always adamant that no attack ever occurred on August 4. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution authorized President Lyndon Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further. One soldier, Peter Lemon, even managed to earn a Medal of Honor while stoned out of his mind. Please Note: These historical documents are PDF images of formerly classified carbon paper and reports that have been declassified. They stepped up sabotage and hit-and-run attacks on the coast of North Vietnam." All subsequent Maddox torpedo reports are doubtful in that it is suspected that sonarman was hearing the ship's own propeller beat" [sic]. Further, it shows he lied about the incident, using it as a catalyst to go to war. From the Gulf of Tonkin to The Baltic Sea These 4 wars started after 'false flag' attacks - We Are The Mighty Vietnam War Facts That Will Change How You See American History They were recruited for the job by the Norwegian intelligence officer Alf Martens Meyer. About 40,000 communist soldiers infiltrated the south from 1961 to 1963. On August 2, 1964 the USS Maddox was on DEOSTO Patrol in international waters off North Vietnam. See more. Army Colonel: False Flag 'Gulf of Tonkin Incident' May Be Used to Get Suggest thorough reconnaissance in daylight by aircraft. Inside The Most Disturbing Dungeons And Torture Chambers That Serial Killers Used To Torment Their Victims, Joe Bonanno Spent 35 Years As The Boss Of One Of New York's Biggest Crime Families Then Wrote A Tell-All Book About It, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch, Yoichi Okamoto/U.S. assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a study by NSA historian Robert J. Hanyok. Milestones: 1961-1968 - Office of the Historian United States: The false flag empire - Independent Australia Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also called Tonkin Gulf Resolution, resolution put before the U.S. Congress by Pres. Shortly thereafter, radar contact of "several high speed contacts closing in on them" was acquired by the USS Turner Joy, which locked on to one of the contacts, fired and struck the torpedo boat. But he did not immediately call Johnson to tell him that the whole premise of his decision at lunch to approve McNamara's recommendation for retaliatory air strikes against North Vietnam was highly questionable. For some two hours (from about 21:40 to about 23:35, local time) the ships fired on radar targets and maneuvered vigorously amid electronic and visual reports of enemies. "9/11 Truth" movement: How Alex Jones and Michael Ruppert founded it. 53 Admitted False Flag Attacks. "Not Conspiracy Theory - Global Research Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - Definition, Cause & Significance - HISTORY Its stated purpose was to . As the enemy vessels launched their torpedoes, U.S. forces attacked them from above and below, severely damaging the boats. The Gulf of Tonkin incident is the most notorious false flag in American history. The accords, which were signed by other participants including the Viet Minh, mandated a temporary ceasefire line, which separated southern and northern Vietnam to be governed by the State of Vietnam and the Viet Minh respectively. Graeme Shimmin Amateur military historian. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [5], Maddox, when confronted, was approaching Hn M Island, three to four nautical miles (nmi) (6 to 7km) inside the 12 nautical miles (22km; 14mi) limit claimed by North Vietnam. In fact, the Gulf of Tonkin incident, as it became known, turned out to be a fictitious creation courtesy of the government to escalate war in Vietnam leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of U.S. troops and millions of Vietnamese, fomenting the largest anti-war movement in American history, and tarnishing the reputation of a nation once [5] Maddox retreated, but the next day, August 2, Maddox, which had a top speed of 28 knots, resumed her routine patrol, and three North Vietnamese P-4 torpedo boats with a top speed of 50 knots began to follow Maddox. Suggest complete evaluation before any further action taken. The North Vietnamese Communist Party approved a "people's war" on the South at a session in January 1959,[15]:119120 and on July 28, North Vietnamese forces invaded Laos to maintain and upgrade the Ho Chi Minh trail, in support of insurgents in the south. The Maddox' mission was made even more provocative by being timed to coincide with commando raids, creating the impression that the Maddox was directing those missions " Thus, the North Vietnamese had every reason to believe that Maddox was involved in these actions. In August 1964, the American destroyer USS Maddox was stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam. At about 1505G, Maddox fired three rounds to warn off the communist [North Vietnamese] boats.