The correct option is E It gave President Johnson a "blank check" to retaliate against the North Vietnamese.
On August 7, 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, authorizing President Johnson to take any measures he believed were necessary to retaliate and to promote the maintenance of international peace and security in southeast Asia. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution of 1964 gave President Johnson a "blank check" to retaliate against the North Vietnamese.