Tonkin

It reminded me of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s manufactured Gulf of Tonkin resolution in 1964 that Congress passed, enabling him to vastly escalate U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

"We were on tenterhooks in the sale room, it just kept going and going, it was wonderful, truly wonderful," said Jennifer Tonkin of auctioneers Bonhams.

But the rich history, combined with the Cartier name and its rare and unique design, appeared to make the piece an irresistible prize for collectors, said Ms Tonkin.

The series compellingly addresses the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the baseless claims of William Westmoreland about impending victory, and the leaking of the Pentagon Papers.

But at the most critical points — the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, the blank check issued to the Bush administration after 9/11 and the authorization of the use of force before the invasion of Iraq — Congress gave the executive everything it asked for.