S8 Ep273: VIETNAM AS A POLITICAL WAR AND THE GULF OF TONKIN DECEPTION Colleague Geoffrey Wawro. Geoffrey Wawro explains that the Vietnam War was a political war of choice, where the Johnson administration manipulated the Gulf of Tonkin incident to secure a "blank c

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John Batchelor

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🗓️ 1 January 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

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VIETNAM AS A POLITICAL WAR AND THE GULF OF TONKIN DECEPTION Colleague Geoffrey Wawro. Geoffrey Wawro explains that the Vietnam War was a political war of choice, where the Johnson administration manipulated the Gulf of Tonkin incident to secure a "blank check" from Congress. The administration presented a US-provoked skirmish and a fictitious second attack as unprovoked aggression, using the deception to pass the Tonkin Gulf Resolution and signal toughness against communism. This maneuver was designed to protect Johnson's domestic political standing against conservatives without initially intending to launch a massive ground war. NUMBER 9

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0:00.0	This is CBS Eye on the World.
0:08.5	Here's John Batchelor.
0:12.1	This is CBS I on the World.
0:14.5	I'm John Batchel.
0:15.6	It is August 2nd, 1964, the Gulf of Tonkin off of Vietnam.
0:22.3	Two American destroyers.
0:24.0	And I welcome Jeff Waro.
0:27.2	His new book is A Return to My Youth.
0:31.0	This is the Vietnam War, a military history.
0:34.6	But Jeff makes the point right away.
0:37.4	This is a political war, a war of choice by politicians,
0:42.0	the most powerful politicians on the planet at the time.
0:45.9	Jeff, congratulations.
0:47.9	It's a difficult trip because what we didn't know in 1964 and 1968 in 1972, you have mapped very carefully.
0:57.6	Tonkin Golf.
0:58.8	Linen Johnson was in the White House.
1:00.6	Bob McNamara was the Secretary of Defense.
1:03.4	What did they see in the Tonkin Gulf that was then conveyed to the Congress for a resolution that was false.
1:11.7	We know it is false entirely.
1:14.0	It's not even maybe now it was false.
1:16.2	Good evening to you, Jeff.
1:18.2	Hi, John.
	...

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