Conflict: Vietnam War
Date: 7 August 1964
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, also known as the Southeast Asia Resolution, was a joint resolution of the United States Congress that was passed on 7 August 1964, in the aftermath of the Gulf of Tonkin incident, in which North Vietnamese forces were alleged to have attacked two United States Navy destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
Key Points:
* The resolution authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression."
* It provided a legal basis for the United States to expand its military involvement in Vietnam and was seen as a major escalation of the Vietnam War.
* Critics argued that the resolution was based on false or misleading information and that it gave the president too much power.
* The resolution was repealed in 1971, after the United States had begun to withdraw its troops from Vietnam.