HIST 2112 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: U.S. Bombs, Operation Rolling Thunder
Document Summary
National liberation front (vietcong), communists of the south. Army in south vietnam and cambodia that fought the u. s. and s. For the first time huge units, full battalions, of north vietnamese soldiers (not guerillas, an army), began to stream down into the northern part of s. vietnam. Suddenly the situation in s. vietnam doubly difficult. North vietnam sees coup as americans not wanting to get out but wanting to get in so that"s why they send in multiple soldiers. Johnson (not a super foreign policy dude) relies on kennedy"s foreign policy advisors. Johnson allowed to say we"re being attacked by a communist force in seas. Johnson immediately counter attacked by bombing certain military posts. Then johnson went to congress and called for a resolution giving him gulf of tonkin resolution a blank check to wage war in vietnam without congressional declaration of war. Entire war in america fought under auspices of gulf of tonkin resolution.
