Then: Blood and Controversy

Okay, just so we're all on the same page: the Vietnam War was the most controversial conflict in the history of America.

Yet in 1964 when the Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed allowing the U.S. to send troops and military supplies to Vietnam, about 85% of Americans supported the move. (Source)

Americans were afraid of communism, afraid of the USSR gaining a communist hold on all of Asia, and afraid of an eventual "Us vs. Them" situation where half the world was the enemy.

Based on the vote in Congress, the government nearly fully supported combat in Vietnam as well. Tonkin Gulf Resolution passed unanimously in the House of Representatives, and missed a unanimous vote in the Senate by only two votes. In today's age of constant arguing and bickering over every word in a piece of Congressional legislation, such overwhelming support is unheard of.

However (there's always a however), five years later things had changed.

By the end of the '60s, there were massive anti-war protests. After the failed bombing campaign called "Rolling Thunder", the disastrous Tet Offensive, the horrifying My Lai Massacre, and the heartbreaking Kent State Shooting, public opinion had changed.

Americans were against the war, thought it a was mistake, and wanted out.

Now: Less Blood, Just as Much Controversy

Just like an investigation of Frank Underwood, there were studies after the Vietnam War ended that looked into the truth of what went down. Specifically, investigations about the attacks in the Gulf of Tonkin that started the whole Tonkin Gulf Resolution.

Interviews and examinations of ship reports have shown that the second attack, reported on August 4th 1964, never happened. These gasp-inducing studies cast a shadow of skepticism over the whole Tonkin Gulf Resolution. (Source)

Would the government lie about an attack as an excuse to go to war? To attempt to answer that question, we can look at other events in American history and possible not-truths behind them. For example:

• The Mexican-American War: evidence exists that James K. Polk wanted to start a war with Mexico in order to start negotiations (weird, right?) and secure land rights. (Source)
• The Spanish-American War: the primary reason why the U.S. went to war against Spain was the alleged sabotage of the American warship U.S.S. Maine, which was located in Havana, Cuba. It exploded on February 15th, 1898, and the U.S. immediately blamed Spain for the attack. Later evidence suggested that the ship blew up as a result of an internal malfunction. (Source)
• World War I: the sinking of the Lusitania has often been cited as one of the reasons for America entering WWI, because the Lusitania was an unarmed passenger ship carrying American travelers. Declassified reports later showed that the ship was illegally smuggling war supplies to Britain, America's ally in the war. (Source)

One important point to note about the entire Vietnam mess is that after the war, Americans trusted their government less. The lack of trust between citizens and government has been an ongoing issue in America ever since, and has spilled into more recent conflicts such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Is it an issue we will ever fully resolve? Only time will tell.