What has happened in the Gulf of Tonkin, 1964?

It was reported by the US Government and published in the Washington Post and New York Times that North Vietnamese torpedo boats repeatedly had attacked US destroyers "being on routine patrol" in the gulf of Tonkin. President Johnson announced air strikes against North Vietnam as "retaliation". This event was the start of active US involvement in the war North- against South Vietnam. Since then US military advisers were secretly assisting the regime of the South, which came into power and was held by the USA against existing international treaties, in which all sides had agreed to democratic elections for the South. 30 years later it came out that the Tonkin incident was a 100% fabrication by the US government to get public support for an open and active involvement in the Vietnam war.