I’ve heard this song before, “We have conclusive evidence.” In the last 63 years, I have heard this song twice or more from the White House.
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
Forty years ago, the White House and President Johnson submitted the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to Congress. Congress passed the resolution used to justify the Vietnam Conflict.
The Aug. 4, 1964, facts are clear that the attack did not happen. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara admitted this in his book and interviews the Aug. 4 attack never happened.
In an article “40th Anniversary of the Gulf of Tonkin Incident” by Dr. John Prados, who heads the Archive’s Vietnam and Intelligence Documentation Projects, co-directs its Iraq Documentation Project and is a Senior Research Fellow on national security affairs, including foreign affairs, intelligence and military subjects found no evidence of this attack on Aug. 4, 1964.
Further evidence concerning the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was written by Martin Fletcher on Nov. 7, 2001. The LBJ tape “confirms Vietnam war error.”
In the book, President Johnson admitted in a secret tape recording that the incident he used to win congressional approval for the Vietnam War probably never happened.
Congress approved a resolution authorizing the President to take “all necessary steps, including the use of force” to help America’s southeast Asian allies.
Johnson used the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution to drag America ever deeper into the Vietnam War and death of more 57,000 American lives.
Second Song “WMD’S in Iraq”
The song was the same in 21st century. The White House, President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair charged that Iraqi had WMD’S. On March 19, 2003, it resulted in the military campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
This occurred after a prolonged United Nations inspection in Iraq. The United Nations Security Council members consisting of the United States, Britain, France, Russia and other members demanded a search for WMD’S in Iraq.
After lengthy period of time, in which the U.N. looked for WMDs in Iraq, they found no evidence. However, the White House and Prime Minister Blair would not accept the report.
In Time Magazine, Mark Thompson wrote this headline story on Sept. 6, 2012, “Iraq: How the CIA Says It Blew It on Saddam’s WMD.”
He wrote:
“Now that we’re out of Iraq, the CIA has come clean on how it came to be bamboozled about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction. The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) ferrets over at the National Security Archive (NSA) petitioned for, and got, the CIA’s equivalent of the dog-ate-my-homework.”
Bottom line, from the CIA’s point of view, Saddam used to lie about possessing WMDs, so we believed he still was.
Unfortunately, the U.S. went to war based largely on that false intelligence. And 4,486 U.S. troops, 318 allies and untold thousands of Iraqis died in the ensuing conflict.
So Americans hear the same old song about Syria. The question will be are we going to make it No. 1 hit again.
Does the White House have the voice recording or email from President Bashar al Assad to use the chemical weapon?
I believe this White House should follow the leadership of President Kennedy. The White House and President Kennedy showed the world the map of Cuba and where the missiles sites were being built.
Will this White House show America people the truth of the Syria attack upon its citizens?