Lyndon Johnson's speech on Gulf of Tonkin resolution — Transcript

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1. 0:02my fellow
2. 0:04Americans as president and
3. 0:06commanderin-chief
4. 0:07it is my duty to the American
5. 0:11people to
6. 0:14report that renewed hostile
7. 0:17actions against United States ships on
8. 0:20the high seas in the Gulf of
9. 0:23tonin have today required me to order
10. 0:27the military forces of the United States
11. 0:30to take action in
12. 0:32reply the initial attack on the
13. 0:35Destroyer Maddox on August
14. 0:382nd was repeated
15. 0:41today by a number of hostile vessels
16. 0:44attacking two US destroyers with
17. 0:48Torpedoes the
18. 0:50Destroyers and supporting
19. 0:53aircraft acted at once on the orders I
20. 0:57gave after the initial Act of agress
21. 1:02We Believe at least two of the attacking
22. 1:04boats were
23. 1:06sunk there were no us
24. 1:10losses the performance of commanders and
25. 1:13crews in this
26. 1:14engagement is in the highest tradition
27. 1:17of the United States
28. 1:19Navy but repeated acts of
29. 1:22violence against the Armed Forces of the
30. 1:25United
31. 1:26States must be met
32. 1:30not only with alert
33. 1:31defense but with positive
34. 1:36reply that reply is being
35. 1:40given as I speak to you
36. 1:44tonight air action is now in
37. 1:49execution against
38. 1:51gunboats and certain supporting
39. 1:54facilities in North
40. 1:57Vietnam which have been used in these
41. 2:00hostile
42. 2:02operations in the larger
43. 2:05sense this new Act of
44. 2:08aggression aimed directly at our own
45. 2:12forces again brings home to all of us in
46. 2:16the United
47. 2:18States the
48. 2:19importance of the struggle for peace and
49. 2:22Security in Southeast
50. 2:25Asia aggression by Terror against the
51. 2:29peaceful Village of South
52. 2:31Vietnam has now been joined by open
53. 2:34aggression on the high
54. 2:36seas against the United States of
55. 2:40America the determination of all
56. 2:44Americans to carry out our full
57. 2:46commitment to the people and to the
58. 2:48government of South
59. 2:50Vietnam will be redoubled by this
60. 2:55Outreach yet our response for the
61. 2:58present
62. 3:00will be limited and
63. 3:03fitting we Americans know although
64. 3:07others appear to
65. 3:08forget the risk of spreading
66. 3:12conflict we still seek no wider
67. 3:17War I have instructed the Secretary of
68. 3:21State to make this position totally
69. 3:23clear to friends and to adversaries and
70. 3:26indeed to
71. 3:28all I have instructed Ambassador
72. 3:30Stevenson to raise this matter
73. 3:33immediately and urgently before the
74. 3:36security Council of the United
75. 3:38Nation finally I have today
76. 3:42met with the leaders of both parties in
77. 3:45the Congress of the United
78. 3:47States and I have informed them that I
79. 3:51shall immediately request the
80. 3:54Congress to pass a
81. 3:57resolution making it clear
82. 4:00that our
83. 4:01government is united in its
84. 4:05determination to take all necessary
85. 4:08measures in support of freedom and in
86. 4:11defense of Peace in Southeast
87. 4:14Asia I have been given encouraging
88. 4:19Assurance by these leaders of both
89. 4:22parties that such a resolution will be
90. 4:25promptly
91. 4:26introduced freely and expeditiously
92. 4:29debated
93. 4:31and passed with overwhelming
94. 4:34support and just a few minutes
95. 4:37ago I was able to reach Senator
96. 4:40Goldwater and I am glad to say that he
97. 4:44has expressed his support of the
98. 4:47statement that I'm making to you
99. 4:50tonight it is a solemn
100. 4:53responsibility to have to order even
101. 4:56limited Military action by forc is whose
102. 5:00overall
103. 5:01strength is as vast and as
104. 5:04awesome as those of the United States of
105. 5:09America but it is my considered
106. 5:13conviction shared throughout your
107. 5:18government that firmness in the
108. 5:22right is indispensable today for peace
109. 5:29that
110. 5:31firmness will always be
111. 5:35measured it's mission is peace