LBJ and the Gulf of Tonkin
Process
This webquest will allow you to examine primary source materials. These might include artifacts from the time of the Gulf of Tonkin incident such as maps, recordings of phone calls, memos, or newspaper articles. Often, these artifacts will be difficult to read, and you may not understand their significance when you first look at them; however, you will be provided with questions or other aids to help you decipher and understand what you are examining.
Step 1:
Read screens one through four of the Gulf of Tonkin exhibit.
Step 2:
Read the assessment rubrics in order to understand the expectations for this activity.
Step 3:
Divide your class into groups of four or five. Together with your group, look carefully at the following documents, and then answer the questions below.
- Memorandum notifying President Lyndon B. Johnson of attack on the USS Maddox
- Press release following the first Tonkin Gulf incident
- Who do you think wrote or prepared these first two documents?
- Are there any dates on them?
- If so, what are they?
- What do you think the documents show?
- How are the two documents related?
- Map of Second Gulf of Tonkin Incident
- Joint Chiefs of Staff Cable 7720
- 11:06 AM telephone conversation between President Johnson and Secretary McNamara
The map of Tonkin incident and the Cable from the Joint Chiefs of Staff are both military documents.
- These documents are related to the same incident. What happened?
- The map of the attack shows dates and times of where the ships were and what happened. For example, the "03/0900" means August 3 at 9am. At what date and time does the map show an attack taking place. Was this the first or second attack?
- Who is talking in the phone conversation? What do they decide to do?
- The last document was marked ‘Top Secret’. Why do you think it was secret? What do you think it is?
Step 4:
Read screens one through four of the Gulf of Tonkin exhibit.
Now that you have looked at the Gulf of Tonkin exhibit and the four artifacts from August 2 and August 4, 1964, try to tell the story of what happened from August 2 to August 5, 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin. These events led to the eventual passage of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, so it is important that you understand them.
Fill in the table here with the events from August 2nd to 5th, 1965. You should be able to include at least one event for each day.
You may want to look at http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-m/dd731-k.htm, to help you understand the events and the artifacts more clearly.