President Johnson's address on the Gulf of Tonkin and more US presence in Vietnam, August 4th, 1964.

On August 4th, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson addressed the American people about an August 2nd North Vietnamese attack on U.S. forces in the Gulf of Tonkin and that the United States was already retaliating. President Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin incident to significantly increase U.S. military presence in Vietnam. It was also reported that Vietnam torpedo boats also attacked the United States on August 4th. The original report blamed North Vietnam for both incidents, but the memoirs of Johnson's Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, "the Pentagon Papers", published in 2005 proved material misrepresentation by the US government to justify a war against Vietnam.

"My fellow Americans: - As President and Commander in Chief, it is my duty to the American people to report that renewed hostile actions against United States ships on the high seas in the Gulf of Tonkin have today required me to order the military forces of the United States to take action in reply."