Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In August 1964, two U.S ships, the Maddox and Turner Joy ,were attacked by North Vietnamese in the Gulf of Tonkin. In response, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was passed by Congress on August 7 ,1964. This resolution gave the president at the time, Lyndon B. Johnson, the power to start war in Vietnam. Johnson was given unprecedented military powers and broad authority of what to do in the future involving Vietnam. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara was a key aspect in presenting the resolution which was eventually passed by Congress with the vote of 502 to 2. The resolution would end at the president's discretion unless otherwise repealed by Congress. On August 5, North Vietnam openly bombed U.S. bases and other American sites. In response, Johnson sent out regular U.S. troops who began to arrive in Vietnam in March 1965.The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution came with a lot of controversy. Some thought it was a possibility for the reports of attacks on August 4 ,1964 to have been mistaken or faked. A lot of people also believed that the president should not be the one to conduct war, and it should be in Congress's hands. In 1966 a man named Wayne Morse tried to get the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution repealed. Not many supported him at first but eventually Congress did end up repealing the resolution in 1970 due to Cambodian air raids.