"The Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." — Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Public Law 88-408, August 7, 1964
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution functioned in practice as:
- Acheck_circle
A near-blank check authorizing major U.S. military escalation in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war
- B
A formal declaration of war against North Vietnam
- C
A treaty submitted for ratification by two-thirds of the Senate
- D
A judicial ruling under the Federal Tort Claims Act
Explanation
Though never a declaration of war, the resolution was used by Johnson and later Nixon as legal authority for vast escalation, prompting later debates about congressional war powers.