USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Credibility gap is a term that came into wide use with journalism, political and public discourse in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. At the time, it was most frequently used to describe public scepticism about the Lyndon B. Johnson administration’s statements and policies on the Vietnam War.

Detailed explanation-2: -The U.S. had stationed advisory military personnel in South Vietnam since the 1950s, but Johnson presided over a major escalation of the U.S. role in the Vietnam War. After the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, he obtained congressional approval to use military force to repel future attacks by North Vietnam.

Detailed explanation-3: -In early August 1964, two U.S. destroyers stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin in Vietnam radioed that they had been fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In response to these reported incidents, President Lyndon B. Johnson requested permission from the U.S. Congress to increase the U.S. military presence in Indochina.

Detailed explanation-4: -Britannica Dictionary definition of CREDIBILITY GAP. [count] : a situation in which the things that someone says are not believed or trusted because of the difference between what is said and what seems to be true. There is a credibility gap between what the mayor says and what the people see happening in the city.

Detailed explanation-5: -Johnson’s presidency took place during the Cold War and his foreign policy prioritised containment of communism. Prior to his presidency, the U.S. was already involved in the Vietnam War, supporting South Vietnam against the communist North.