He claimed that the North Vietnamese had tracked Maddox along the coast by radar, and were thus aware that the destroyer had not actually attacked North Vietnam and that Hanoi (or the local commander) had ordered its craft to engage Maddox anyway.
Sharp tvrdil, že severovietnamský radar sledoval Maddox podél pobřeží, a proto věděl, že Maddox ve skutečnosti nenapadal Severní Vietnam, a že Hanoj (a nebo místní velitel) nařídila svým lodím zaútočit na něho.