The second Gulf of Tonkin engagement
EstablishedConfirmed as fact in the official record
The claim
The second torpedo boat attack announced for the night of 4 August 1964 was said never to have happened.
Where it started
The US announcement in August 1964 led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. Public doubt about its basis was first raised at a Senate hearing in 1968.
Where it stands
An internal study declassified by the National Security Agency in 2005 and 2006 concluded that no attack took place on the night of 4 August and that signals intelligence had been reported selectively in favour of an attack. The engagement of 2 August did happen. What is established is the absence of the second engagement and the distortion of the reporting.
Primary sources
- 미국 국가안보국 기밀해제 자료실, 통킹만 관련 내부 연구nsa.govOfficial sourceThis source blocks automated access, so it was opened in a browser by hand.
- 미국 정부간행물국 govinfo, 상원 청문회 기록govinfo.govOfficial source
checked 2026-09-07
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