Gulf of Tonkin Incident

The Vietnam War escalated because of an attack that never happened. On August 4, 1964, the USS Maddox reported being attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson used it to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving him authority to wage war without a formal declaration. NSA documents declassified in 2005 confirmed what historians had long suspected: the second attack never occurred. The initial reports were based on confused radar, bad weather, and overeager sonar operators. 58,220 Americans and 2-3 million Vietnamese died in the resulting war.