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Heines, James S.

History

2006

MA

The years of 1964 and 1965 were critical for the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. In August 1964 the Congress expressed overwhelming support for President Johnson's retaliatory strikes against North Vietnam after the events in the Tonkin Gulf and gave the President broad powers to conduct the war in Vietnam through the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. During the winter of 1964-65, the President broadened American involvement in the war by expanding the air war against North Vietnam and expanding the mission of American ground forces in South Vietnam. During the late spring of 1965, President Johnson decided to greatly expand the United States troop level in Vietnam and to commit the United States to a full-scale land war in South Vietnam. Senator J. William Fulbright would become one of the best-known critics of the Vietnam War. Yet, during this period he offered public support for the President's policies. Senator Fulbright led the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through the Senate, and during Senate debate on the resolution noted the broad powers the resolution granted the President. During the winter and spring of 1965 Senator Fulbright privately criticized the Johnson administration for their expansion through executive session hearings of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and direct communication with the President. Yet, on a number of occasions during this period, the Senator offered public support for the President's policies. When presented an opportunity in May of 1965 to debate Vietnam policy on the Senate floor, Fulbright refused. After the President's announcement of the greatly expanded American role in the war, Senator Fulbright was publicly quiet. The American invasion of the Dominican Republic in April of 1965 did provoke Senator Fulbright to publicly question and criticize the policies of the Johnson administration. The Senator convened a number of executive session hearings of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to investigate the administration's Dominican policy. And in September 1965 Fulbright gave a speech on the Senate floor highly critical of Johnson's decision to send United States' Marines to the Dominican Republic. But, while Senator Fulbright was willing to question and criticize the Johnson administration's Dominican policies, he remained unwilling to publicly question or criticize the administration's Vietnam policies.