This document is one of several readiness reports of PT boat movements by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, in which the DRV attacked US Naval vessels.

The only line in the message is “Change word ‘destroyed’ to ‘bombarded’”. For what ever message it applied to, there is a difference in the degree of damage between the two words.

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident prompted the US Congress to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which gave President Johnson authority to use military force to defend allies in the area and ultimately lead to the beginning of the Vietnam War.