However, in August 1964, following the reputed shelling of United States warships in the Gulf of Tonkin off the North Vietnamese coast, Johnson approved air strikes against North Vietnamese naval bases. The Johnson administration remained hesitant to raise the American commitment to Vietnam. President Johnson made a concerted effort to conceal the costs and consequences of Vietnam from the public, but such duplicity required the passive consent of America's generals. As President Johnson incrementally escalated the war, neither man made his views known to the president or Congress. Commandant of the Marine Corps Wallace Greene made a similar estimate on troop levels. Johnson estimated in 1965 that victory would require as many as 700,000 troops for up to five years. Congress responded with the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, expressing support for "all necessary measures" the President might take to repel armed attacks against US forces and prevent further aggression.Īrmy Chief of Staff Harold K. determination to support freedom and protect peace in Southeast Asia. Johnson asked for a resolution expressing U.S. Johnson (1963-1968), US intervention mushroomed both militarily and politically. Total US Military Personnel in Vietnam Date
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