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Operation Plan 34A
The United States wanted to investigate the extent of the coastal defenses of North Vietnam, but could not easily find them. Plan 34A was to have vessels manned by South Vietnamese crews, under American orders, attacked a series of small attacks on islands off the coast of Northern Vietnam -
Gulf of Tonkin Incidednt
The United States sent the Navy destroyer Maddox into the Gulf of Tonkin in order to investigate the results of the coastal attacks. It was then attacked by three North Vietnamese torpedo boats. This attack was easily repelled by the Maddox and was the only confirmed attack by North Vietnam. When President Johnson learned of the attack, he decided that it did not yet merit largescale retaliation. -
Second Attack
After the Maddox was attacked, it was joined in the Gulf of Tonkin by the C. Turner Joy, another destroyer. They were ordered to stay far away from the North Vietnamese coastline. However, both destroyers took actions that suggested a North Vietnamese attack was under way. However there were many inconsistencies. The sonar equipment on the Maddox picked up the torpedo boats but the sonar equipment on the C. Turner Joy did not hear the same sounds. The Officials in D.C. reported it as an attack. -
Operation Pierce Arrow
After the second attack on the U.S, destroyers, President Johnson was ready for a full scale retaliation. He authorized bombing of North Vietnam in a plan called Operation Pierce Arrow. He had the bombers aim for the North Vietnamese coastal defenses and an oil storage facility near a town called Vinh. Johnson wanted to go to war. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Now President Johnson was pushing Congress to approve the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This would allow Johnson to take any military measure necessary in order to secure the peace of Southeast Asia. He supported this by stating that America always keeps her commitments by assissting South Vietnam and Laos in its struggle against the communist regime of North Vietnam. The people of the U.S. supported Johnson and Congress approved the resolution allowing Johnson to take any means he needed for peace
