WTF are you talking about....They did give direct orders
Three years later, with the South Vietnamese government crumbling,
President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered limited bombing raids on North Vietnam, and Congress authorized the use of U.S. troops. By 1965, North Vietnamese offensives left President Johnson with two choices: escalate U.S. involvement or withdraw.
U.S. withdraws from Vietnam
Nixon announces start of “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam
Infuriated,
President Nixon ordered plans drawn up for retaliatory bombings of North Vietnam. Linebacker II was the result. Beginning on December 18, American B-52s and fighter-bombers dropped over 20,000 tons of bombs on the cities of Hanoi and Haiphong. The United States lost 15 of its giant B-52s and 11 other aircraft during the attacks. North Vietnam claimed that over 1,600 civilians were killed.
Nixon announces start of “Christmas Bombing” of North Vietnam