 Rostow akatsigirwa naWilliam Bundy, mutevedzeri wemunyori weAsia, uyo akapa zano Johnson mumemo musi wa1 March 1964 kuti U.S. Navy inofanira kuvhara Haiphong uye kutanga kubhomba njanji dzeNorth Vietnam, mafekitari, migwagwa nemisasa yokudzidzira. Bundy akataura kuti zvirongwa zvokuwedzera kubatanidzwa kweU.S. zvaizoda nenzira yakajairika kuzivisa hondo kubva kuCongress. Bundy akarayira pamusoro pe chiridzwa chisina kujeka chekuzivisa hondo sezvo parizvino Johnson achiri ne zvinangwa zvakasarudzika muVietnam, asi akataura kuti zvingave zvisingagutsi kuita kuti Congress isatsigire kuwedzerwa kwakarongwa kuVietnam nekuda kwezvikonzero zvebumbiro. Bundy akataura kuti mhinduro yakanakisa kuchinetso ichi yaive chiitiko kubva pabasa raJohnson pachake seSeneta muna Ndira 1955 paakavhotera Chisarudzo cheFormosa chichipa Mutungamiri Eisenhower simba rekushandisa simba remauto sezvaanoona zvakakodzera kuchengetedza Taiwan kubva pakupinda kweChina. Panguva iyoyo, Taiwan Strait Crisiskwakanga kuchipenga neChinese Communists ichipfura zvitsuwa zvinoverengeka muTaiwan strait ichiri kutongwa nehurumende yeK Kuomintang muTaiwan, uye vakawanda vaidavira kuti chisarudzo cheCongress chaipa Eisenhower simba repamutemo rokuenda kuhondo mukudzivirira Taiwan chakanga chagumisa dambudziko racho. 