The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
In August 1964, the Johnson administration reported attacks on U.S. Navy destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin off North Vietnam. Within days Congress approved a resolution authorizing the President to take "all necessary measures" in Southeast Asia. It became the legal basis for the expansion of the Vietnam War.
Resulting law: Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (Pub. L. 88-408)
From event to law
Who voted to authorize the Vietnam War? Open any vote below to see every legislator.
- EventAugust 2, 1964
USS Maddox engagement
North Vietnamese patrol boats engage the destroyer USS Maddox.
- EventAugust 4, 1964
Second reported attack
A second attack is reported. Declassified National Security Agency documents released in 2005 concluded it likely did not occur.
- VoteAugust 7, 1964
House approves
H.J. Res. 1145 passes without a dissenting vote.
House, 88th Congress, roll call 197
- VoteAugust 7, 1964
Senate approves
Sens. Wayne Morse (D-OR) and Ernest Gruening (D-AK) vote no.
Senate, 88th Congress, roll call 481
- LawAugust 10, 1964
Signed
President Johnson signs the resolution.
- What came nextJanuary 12, 1971
Repealed
Congress repeals the resolution as part of a foreign military sales law.
Look up the votes
Party labels are those used at the time of the vote. The parties' coalitions and positions have changed over time, so a party name in 1864 or 1919 does not map directly onto the party today.
Sources
- National Archives: Tonkin Gulf Resolution
- National Security Agency: "Skunks, Bogies, Silent Hounds, and the Flying Fish" (declassified history, 2005)
- Voteview: Congressional Roll-Call Votes Database (vote tallies and member votes)
Tallies count members recorded as voting yea or nay. Official counts printed at the time can differ by a vote or two because of pairs and later corrections.