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Vietnam Turning Point
The Alleged Attack on U.S. Maddox in 1964
Why is your chosen turning point actually a turning point and not just another event?
The incident leading up to the claim of an attack against the U.S. Maddox, a Destroyer naval vessel is a turning point in history. This is because it sparked the beginning of a war with Vietnam that would last nearly ten years and divide and change U.S. citizens feelings about government authority forever. Up until this time Americans were unified in support of the President and Congress for the most part and willing to send their young men into war. Fathers and Mothers felt it was their patriotic duty to support the U.S. Military and citizens admired and respected those that served in the Armed Forces. This would change dramatically over the course of this war with Vietnam which in reality was not between the U.S. And Vietnam but a conflict of the ally of the U.S. South Vietnam with North Vietnam. The decision to engage in the war in support of South Vietnam came after an attack on U.S. Maddox was reported to President Johnson. President Johnson felt that...
It was later proven that the attack was not genuine which prompted a backlash across America of distrust and outrage against the American government for sending our young soldiers to die based on a lie.
Why were the events immediately preceding the turning point necessary and essential in preparing for the turning point?
The events before this turning of the American support of military actions significantly affect the cold war standoff between North and South Vietnam. President Johnson believed that South Vietnam was losing a battle against Communism brought on by the Viet Cong. The President then lended support to the South Vietnamese struggle by sending naval patrol boats and providing military training. American naval forces were also dispatched to support Southern Vietnamese military by participating in covert operations and intelligence gathering efforts. One of these covert actions sparked the decisions that led to the preparing of the turning point.
Operation 34A directed…
References
Moss, D.G. (2010). Vietnam: An American Ordeal. Pearson Education Inc. 6 Ed.
Allen, G.W. (2001) None so Blind A Personal Account of Intelligence Failure Vietnam. Chicago: Ivan R. Publishing. pp. 182.
Duiker, W.J. (1994) U.S. Containment Policy and Conflict in Indochina. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. pp.320.
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