Pentagon Papers

On August 7th, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. It was as close as America would ever come to actually declaring war on North Vietnam.

The President signed the resolution before a standing-room crowd on August 10th. Within a week, his power had dramatically increased. He had moved from providing military advisor support in South Vietnam to doing whatever he thought was necessary.

For the most part American journalists, barely questioning what was really going on, reported whatever government officials told them. Full-scale war, with many American casualties, was just around the corner.