“Don’t Tread On Us” editorial in The Greenfield Recorder-Gazette newspaper

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From the collections of PVMA • Digital image © Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Assoc. • Image use information


About this item

The subject of this  editorial from The Greenfield Recorder is the Gulf of Tonkin Incident which occurred on August 2nd and 4th, during the Viet Nam War (1955-1975). The tone of the article and the assertions made by its author broadly reflect the sentiments shared by many in the United States at the time. Ever since Dwight D. Eisenhower had been in office in the 1950s, American presidents and foreign policymakers had claimed that Communist governments were aggressive. The editorial illustrates the extent to which Americans believed that the Vietnam War was actually a conflict between Communist countries headed by China and the Soviet Union, and the United States. The author assumes that the North Vietnamese were acting under the influence of China when they attacked US Navy destroyers in the international waters of the Gulf of Tonkin. The author asserts that “if the Communist leaders of the Chinese People’s republic were merely testing Washington’s reactions-they know now retaliation will be swift and certain”. The United States’ increasing participation in the Vietnam War was widely seen as insurance against the “domino theory”. Many Americans believed that if South Vietnam became a Communist-led country, that other nations in Southeast Asia would soon follow.

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Details

Item typeArticle
PublisherGreenfield Recorder-Gazette
Date1964-08-06
TopicMilitary, Wars, Battles
Politics, Government, Law, Civics
EraCounterculture, Civil Rights, and Cold War, 1946–1989
MaterialPaper
Process/FormatPrinting
Dimension detailsProcess Material: printed paper, ink Height: 5.50 in Width: 5.00 in
Catalog #L06.050
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Greenfield Recorder-Gazette. “Don’t Tread On Us.” August 6, 1964. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l06-050/. Accessed on November 21, 2024.

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