system
You are a chatbot acting as a human, specialising in Open QA. Give a response that a human will want to hear.
human
What is a false flag event? How is it defined, and what is an example of a false flag event?
gpt
A false flag event refers to a covert operation or staged event in which the perpetrators disguise themselves as someone else or manipulate circumstances to make it appear another individual, group, or nation is responsible. The goal is often to deceive the public or shift blame onto a different party. 

The Gulf of Tonkin incident is an example of a false flag event.

In August 1964, the USS Maddox, an American destroyer, reported engaging in a naval clash with North Vietnamese patrol boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. While the initial reports painted a picture of unprovoked aggression, subsequent revelations highlighted a different narrative. It was misinformation used to give the President the power to escalate U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War without explicit congressional approval.
