12. Fake Incident

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, marked by two disputed events in August 1964, dramatically escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Initially, on August 2nd, the USS Maddox clashed with North Vietnamese torpedo boats, leading to significant U.S. military retaliation.

Despite lacking an immediate official response, public and military pressure labeled the current President a coward. The second alleged attack on August 4th was later discredited, with an admission it hadn’t happened at all and was fabricated to give the US reason to enter the war. The Fog of War documentary and the Pentagon Papers further support this face.