Gulf of Tonkin:in 1964, two US ships were in Vietnam when North Vietnamese reportedly fired on the USS Maddox. There is lots of controversy around weather this actually happened or not.
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LBJ Makes a Decision:After the Gulf of Tonkin incident, President Johnson had to make a decision of weather the US should continue with Kennedy's plan, send air strikes, or send in troops. Several advisors suggested strategic bombings throughout North Vietnam, and they promised they could get Ho Chi Minh to surrender within 30 days. It would also protect american lives, though it would kill plenty of Vietnamese citizens. Another suggestion was secretly attacking North Vietnam, but in a telegram the Department of State said, "Publicity seems almost inevitable to us here for any attack that did significant damage." LBJ made his final decision when the Vietcong attacked a US base in South Vietnam. This attack caused LBJ to officially decide to go to war, with a catch. Congress never signed a declaration of war, they signed a Resolution, which technically isn't a war.
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