McNamara. The plan called for increased U.S. involvement in South Vietnam in the way of air strikes and combat troops. Johnson made it clear that any action of that nature needed to be preceded by congressional endorsement. In July, Johnson and the Democratic Party's policies came under fire from two particular individuals, Arizona Senator Barry M. Goldwater and his running mate the Representative from New York, William E. Miller. Goldwater and Miller attacked the Democrats for allowing communism to proliferate in Laos, Vietnam, Berlin, and Cuba. .
Johnson's response to the accusations was to increase the number of military advisors in South Vietnam to 21,000. Then on July 30, Sailors from South Vietnam, piloting patrol boats shelled the islands of Hon Me and Hon Ngu, which are about four miles from Mainland North Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin. The next day the U.S. destroyer Maddox entered the Gulf of Tonkin with orders to patrol the area near the islands and "stimulate and measure" North Vietnamese and Chinese radar. On August 2, the Maddox reported picking up radio transmissions indicating a possible attack on the ship. The Maddox radioed to the naval headquarters in Hawaii saying that to continue patrolling close to shore posed "an unacceptable risk." Headquarters" reply was that the Maddox should continue its mission when "considered prudent." Around 2:00am August 2nd, 11 miles out from Hon Me island, the Maddox radioed that it was being approached by high speed craft "with apparent intent to conduct torpedo attack." The Maddox intended to open fire in self-defense if necessary. Three boats came within three miles of the Maddox, and two of them launched torpedoes at the Maddox, but they missed. The Maddox destroyed one, and jets from the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga disabled the other two. .
When word of the attack reached Washington, Johnson gathered reporters and informed them that he was sending the C.