Our involvement started before that. FDR refused to meet with Ho Chi Minh about liberation from France, so Minh turned to the only other power, Russia. Truman started us on the path to armed conflict and the rest of the presidents escalated it gradually. The McCarthy commission tossed most of the Asia experts out as communists and caused us to have no true understanding of what was going on and the people.

Tonkin was just what got the American people to support a larger presence and committment.
Me4President2008 | Homepage | 01.22.06 - 11:58 am | #