Word: tonkin
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...skunk," in Navy parlance, is any unidentified ship that pops up on a radarscope. Last week a bad odor lingered over four such radar contacts. They were the blips that appeared in the Tonkin Gulf a fortnight ago and drew the fire of two patrolling U.S. destroyers-and, since then, the fire of innumerable Republican sharpshooters. Were the skunks really North Vietnamese torpedo boats or gunboats, as the destroyer captains believed? If so, were they really indulging in "hostile" behavior-preparing to attack U.S. vessels as they had on two earlier occasions? What damage was really done? The Pentagon...
...yards-5½ nautical miles-the destroyer captains decided that the pursuers were "hostile," opened fire with their radar-controlled 5-in. guns, although they still could not see their targets by eye. Why did they begin shooting at such a great distance? After the first Tonkin incident, when the U.S.S. Maddox sank one of three at tacking torpedo boats, President Johnson had been scornful of the lone destroyer's marksmanship, so this time the skippers wanted to get in as many ranging rounds as possible to improve their score...
Last week Goldwater's point received new credibility. The Pentagon went into a headline-screaming flap over reports of another Tonkin Gulf incident. U.S. destroyers in the area reported seeing strange blips on their radar screens, assumed a new attack by North Vietnamese PT boats, started firing. But, if only because of the confusion existing on the destroyers, communication with the Pentagon failed to make clear what actually was happening...
...Signal. Chief political victim was goateed little General Nguyen Khanh, who during seven months in power had striven vainly to unite his people in the antiguerrilla struggle. When the U.S. last month hit North Viet Nam in retaliation for the naval attack in the Gulf of Tonkin, Khanh used the situation to impose martial law, hoping to strengthen his regime. Then two weeks ago, he tried further to consolidate his position and persuaded his Military Revolutionary Council, the country's nominal ruling body, to promote him from Premier to President and grant him virtually absolute powers. Khanh acted with...
...substantially greater than the Senator's statement implies"). He repeated his charge that "one good American life was lost" and another "delivered into Communist captivity" because President Johnson needlessly tipped off the enemy when he announced on television that U.S. planes were en route to targets during the Tonkin Gulf crisis. (The Administration argued that the President was deliberately warning Red China against intervening and that the first U.S. planes were already within enemy radar range.) Retorted Barry: "The Administration has shown little skill when negotiating with the Communists. Now it appears they have as little skill when fighting...