Gulf of Tonkin resolution
The government had written up a resolution in June 1964. Believing that the lives of American sailors were in danger from the North Vietnamese, Congress willingly passed the resolution. The resolution gave the president the power to start war in Vietnam. As Johnson said, it was "like grandma's night shirt - it covered everything". The resolution would end when the president believed that the situation in Southeast Asia was safe or when Congress decided to terminate it. Senator Mansfield was unconvinced that the U.S. was acting correctly.