Aug. 4, 1964 | President Johnson Speech on Gulf of Tonkin Crisis

Aug. 4, 1964 - The United States is currently bombing PT boat installations on the shores of North Vietnam with carrier-based planes and is reinforcing its forces in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.
These actions of potentially enormous — but hopefully limited — consequences were announced by President Johnson in a televised speech tonight in response to a second North Vietnamese PT attack on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
In addition to the military measures, the President announced that:
1 — The U.S. would “immediately and urgently” bring the North Vietnamese aggression before the U.N. Security Council.
2 — He would submit to Congress immediately a proposed resolution “making it clear that our government is united in its determination to take all necessary measures in the support of freedom and in defense of peace in Southeast Asia.”
Before making his statement over television from the White House, Johnson read it on the telephone to Sen. Barry Goldwater, the Republican Presidential nominee, who is vacationing at Newport Beach, Calif. The Senator later issued a statement saying:
“I am sure that every American will subscribe to the action outlined in the President’s statement. It is the only thing he can do under the circumstances. We cannot allow the American flag to be shot at anywhere on earth if we are to retain our respect and prestige.”

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