The Tonkin Gulf Incident was a clash that triggered the USA's entry into the Vietnam War in August 1964. Two American destroyers (USS C Turner Joy and USSMaddox) reported that they were fired on by North Vietnamesetorpedo boats. It is unclear whether hostile shots were actually fired, but the reported attack was taken as a pretext for making air raids against North Vietnam. On the 7th of August the US Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which formed the basis for the considerable increase in US military involvement in the Vietnam War. The resolution allowed President Johnson to 'take all necessary steps, including the use of armed forces' to help SEATO (South-East Asia Treaty Organisation) members 'defend their freedom'. It was repealed 1970 in the light of evidence that the Johnson administration contrived to deceive Congress about the incident. Research Tonkin Gulf Incident
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