FOIA: Desoto Support - 18 September 1964

relea00102.pdf
Desoto Support - 18 September 1964
Spot report regarding DRV Naval communications intercepted between 17th and 18th September 1964.
Document date: 1964-09-18
Department: NSA Headquarters, Ft. Meade, MD (DIRNSDA)
Author: SIGINT; San Miguel, Philippines
Document type: Report
pages: 5


Archivist's Notes: A number of Vietnamese naval communications intercepted. Some of the messages not translated. Basically includes an order to also not act on US provovcation and attack.

This document is another report of intercepted communications from the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which the DRV attacked US Naval vessels on Aug. 2nd, 1964.

Occurring on Sept. 18, 1964, these messages are several weeks after the incident. The message said that the South Vietnamese were taking advantage of the presence of US Ships in the area. It also said take precautions against an air attack. The remainder is not translated.

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident prompted the US Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson authority to use military force to defend allies in the area and ultimately lead to the beginning of the Vietnam War.

Related FOIA Documents:
FOIA: Desoto Support - 19 September 1964
FOIA: DRV attack on US Ships in Gulf of Tonkin; 2 - 4 August 1964
FOIA: Summary of DRV Naval Communications Revealing Pre-Planned Attacks on USS Maddox
FOIA: SIGINT Reflections of DRV Attacks on USS Maddox - 08/08/1964

All these SIGINT reports from the Gulf of Tonkin incident clearly highlight the importance of good intelligence gathering.

To read about the history of SIGINT in good detailclick here.