Lyndon Johnson - Report on the Gulf of Tonkin Incident — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:11my fellow
2. 0:13Americans as president and commander-in
3. 0:17chief it is my duty to the American
4. 0:21people to
5. 0:23report that renewed hostile
6. 0:27actions against United States ships on
7. 0:29on the high seas in the Gul of
8. 0:32tonin have today required me to order
9. 0:37the military forces of the United States
10. 0:40to take action in
11. 0:42reply the initial attack on the
12. 0:45Destroyer Maddox on August
13. 0:482nd was repeated
14. 0:50today by a number of hostile vessels
15. 0:54attacking two US destroyers with
16. 0:58Torpedoes the destroy
17. 1:00Warriers and supporting
18. 1:03aircraft acted at once on the orders I
19. 1:07gave after the initial Act of
20. 1:10aggression We Believe at least two of
21. 1:13the attacking boats were
22. 1:15Sun there were no us
23. 1:19losses the performance of commanders and
24. 1:22crews in this
25. 1:24engagement is in the highest tradition
26. 1:26of the United States
27. 1:28Navy but repeated acts of
28. 1:32violence against the Armed Forces of the
29. 1:35United
30. 1:36States must be
31. 1:38met not only with alert
32. 1:41defense but with positive
33. 1:45reply that reply is being
34. 1:50given as I speak to you
35. 1:54tonight air action is now in
36. 1:58execution again
37. 2:01gunboats and certain supporting
38. 2:04facilities in North
39. 2:06Vietnam which have been used in these
40. 2:09hostile
41. 2:11operations in the larger
42. 2:14sense this new Act of
43. 2:18aggression aimed directly at our own
44. 2:22forces again brings home to all of us in
45. 2:25the United
46. 2:27States the importance
47. 2:30of the struggle for peace and Security
48. 2:33in Southeast
49. 2:35Asia aggression by Terror against the
50. 2:38peaceful villagers of South
51. 2:41Vietnam has now been joined by open
52. 2:44aggression on the high
53. 2:46seas against the United States of
54. 2:50America the determination of all
55. 2:53Americans to carry out our full
56. 2:56commitment to the people and to the
57. 2:57government of South Vietnam
58. 3:00will be redoubled by this
59. 3:04outrage yet our response for the
60. 3:08present will be limited and
61. 3:13fitting we Americans know although
62. 3:16others appear to
63. 3:18forget the risk of spreading
64. 3:22conflict we still seek no wider
65. 3:27War I have instructed the secretary of
66. 3:30state to make this position totally
67. 3:33clear to friends and to adversaries and
68. 3:36indeed to
69. 3:38all I have instructed Ambassador
70. 3:40Stevenson to raise this matter
71. 3:42immediately and urgently before the
72. 3:45security Council of the United
73. 3:48Nations finally I have today
74. 3:51met with the leaders of both parties in
75. 3:54the Congress of the United
76. 3:57States and I have informed them
77. 4:00that I shall immediately request the
78. 4:04Congress to pass a
79. 4:07resolution making it
80. 4:09clear that our
81. 4:11government is united in its
82. 4:14determination to take all necessary
83. 4:18measures in support of freedom and in
84. 4:21defense of Peace in Southeast
85. 4:24Asia I have been given encouraging
86. 4:28Assurance by by these leaders of both
87. 4:31parties that such a resolution will be
88. 4:34promptly
89. 4:36introduced freely and expeditiously
90. 4:39debated and passed with overwhelming
91. 4:43support and just a few minuts
92. 4:46ago I was able to reach Senator
93. 4:50Goldwater and I glad to say that he has
94. 4:54expressed his support of the statement
95. 4:57that I'm making to you tonight
96. 5:00it is a solemn
97. 5:02responsibility to have to order even
98. 5:06limited Military
99. 5:07action by forces whose overall
100. 5:11strength is as vast and as
101. 5:14awesome as those of the United States of
102. 5:18America but it is my considered
103. 5:23conviction shared throughout your
104. 5:27government that firm
105. 5:30in the
106. 5:32right is indispensable today for
107. 5:38peace that
108. 5:40firmness will always be
109. 5:45measured its mission is peace