The Vietnam war becomes real 1964

During the peak decade of the 60s, American advisers had been attacked several times and there were even rumors that they participated in search and destroy operations, but it was in August 1964 when two destroyers sailed into the Gulf of Tonkin that they reported having been attacked twice by Vietnamese boats, on the second occasion they say they were fired at by dozens of torpedoes. This was later disproved.

President Lyndon B. Johnson decided to act with all the power at his disposal. After the incident President Johnson himself said that the crews of the ships had mistaken the Vietnamese with a flock of flying fish and it is currently difficult if not impossible, to find experts who do not consider what Tonkin did was an error caused by the weather but was the final excuse Johnson needed to ask the Congress to pass the Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

This resolution would confer full powers to the local consultants in Vietnam to engage in operations outside the site of their bases, in addition to increasing the military presence there. To these factors must be added the electoral campaign in the U.S and Johnson needing an image of strength against Communism to let him win votes, even his rival had to support the request.

Congress passed the resolution requested by the President a few days after those attacks. Then the U.S government had what was described as the grandmother’s nightgown, where it is below everything. In early March 1965, they landed at the base of Da Nang (3,500 Marines would join the 22,500 consultants who were already serving in Vietnam).

The first contingent of Marines was well received by residents of Da Nang, with garlands of flowers and dancing. At the same time, U.S support was around 60% of the population, despite the protests and complaints against the blatant class system. Nor should the United States go to war against any nation from the standpoint of international law. There was no declaration of war or an invasion of South Vietnam.