relea00120.pdf 2/G11/VHN/R16-64 SIGINT Readiness Report Bravo Lantern Report Nr. 12
This is another report following the attack on the USS Maddox.
Document date: 1964-08-04
Department: NSA Headquarters, Ft. Meade, MD (DIRNSDA)
Author: SIGINT; Phu Bai
Document type: Report
pages: 2
Archivist's Notes: This report is based on comms between Hai Phong and T142 which gives the position of the US fleet 17 Nautical Miles from Lach
Chao
Summary: Haiphong reported enemy 17 nautical miles (Enemy) from Lach Chao
Have enemy vessel- Wait- iccf the area.
Report 4 small raider vessels Determined.
Archivists notes: Once again a clear and easy to read short report in good condition.
This document is one of several readiness reports of activity by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which
the DRV attacked US Naval vessels on Aug. 2nd, 1964.
This message is a report of the location of six enemy raider vessels. It does not say that they were US or not, and I would assume that a destroyer
like the USS Maddox would not be considered a raider, so my guess is the raiders could have been South Vietnamese vessels.
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.