The Gulf of Tonkin Incident

In late 1961–early 1962 a series of U.S. Navy patrols off the east coast of Communist China was proposed. The purpose of these patrols was to be three-fold. In the first place they would establish and maintain the presence of the U.S. Seventh Fleet in the international waters off the China coast; second, they would serve as a minor Cold War irritant to the “Chicoms”; and third, they would collect as much intelligence as possible concerning Chicom electronic and naval activity.

The initial phasing called for one U.S. destroyer to conduct each mission. There would be three installed positions on each mission (two radio telephone and one manual Morse), and these positions were to serve a dual role-provide direct SIGINT support to the defense of the ship, and serve as intelligence collection facilities for as many different sources and categories of emission as could be obtained. These patrols were given the cover name DESOTO.