“Hell, those dumb, stupid sailors were just shooting at flying fish!”
– U.S. President Lyndon Johnson commenting on the Gulf of Tonkin incident
Fifty years ago yesterday, on August 7, 1964, Congress passed the now infamous Gulf of Tonkin resolution, which led to a massive escalation of America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Without a formal declaration of war, the resolution permitted President Johnson to take “all necessary measures” to support South Vietnam, including armed forces. This resulted in 58,000 dead Americans and well over a million dead Vietnamese, both civilians and military personnel.
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