Question

Imagine you are an advisor for a sitting US president. You have just received word that three small boats appear to have attacked a US port. The president wants to retaliate, but you think more evidence is needed before US forces attack. What historical event could you reference to support your case best?

Answer 1

Gulf of Tonkin incident.

Step-by-step explanation:

The event that went down in history as the Gulf of Tonkin incident is also known as the USS Maddox incident, because that was the name of the American destroyer who was on a surveillance and spying mission off the coast of North Vietnam on February 2. August 1964. On that date, the destroyer entered the territorial waters of North Vietnam, such act motivated the attack of 3 torpedo boats of the North Vietnamese navy. Due to technological superiority, the American ship eventually damaged two of the speedboats. The North Vietnamese government quickly stated that the US ship was in its territorial waters and that for this reason only the destroyer was attacked.

Answer 2

Gulf of Tonkin incident

Step-by-step explanation:

The Gulf of Tonkin incident was the event that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. The confrontation involved North Vietnam and the United States in the Gulf of Tonkin. Originally, the United States had reported two attacks, and blamed them on North Vietnam. However, over time, there was a widespread belief that at least one, if not two of the attacks were false. This could be repeated in the case of the example if not enough information is gathered before retaliating.