Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that the Congress approves and supports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.

The United States regards as vital to its national interest and to world peace the maintenance of international peace and security in Southeast Asia…to take all necessary steps, including the use of armed force, to assist any member or protocol state of the Southeast Asi

However, only Johnson possesses a detailed account of the deliberate attacks conducted by the North Vietnamese regime three days prior to his speech. Because Congress was oblivious to these attacks, Johnson wields considerable expert power. Consequently, Johnson built a solid argument for military intervention in Vietnam basing it on facts only he has knowledge of. This, in turn, forces Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through legislation. Any other course of action would have been a breach of foreign policy in Southeast Asia.

As President of the United States I have concluded that I should now ask the Congress, on its part, to join in affirming the national determination that all such attacks will be met, and that the United States will continue in its basic policy of assisting the free nations of the area to defend their freedom. (4)

First and foremost, Johnson inherently possesses a significant amount of legitimate power. Johnson’s job title is that of “President and Commander in Chief of the United States of America.” The President of this country is arguably the most recognized political figurehead in the world, as well as, a person that demands the utmost respect of every man, woman and child. Additionally, from vetoing bills proposed by Congress to appointing citizens into prominent positions within the government to deploying troops into areas of political unrest, the enumerated powers intrinsic to the job can be utilized at the President’s discretion. In his Gulf of Tonkin speech, Johnson undoubtedly leverages the legitimate power of the Presidency by stating in his concluding remarks:

Our commitments in that area are well known to the Congress. They were first made in 1954 by President Eisenhower. They were further defined in the Southeast Asia Collec

Some topics in this essay:
Gulf Tonkin, President Johnson, Defense Treaty, President United, Southeast Asia, America” President, Commander Chief, Asia Johnson, Vietnam Laos, Senate February, gulf tonkin, southeast asia, gulf tonkin speech, tonkin speech, lyndon baines johnson, commander chief, expert power, tonkin resolution, policy southeast, baines johnson, policy southeast asia, gulf tonkin resolution, speech congress, lyndon baines, president commander chief,