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President Eisenhower's Domino Theory

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Eisenhower was the first president to use the term "Domino Theory". By early 1954, many U.S. policymakers that the french were failing in their attempt to re-establish colonial control in Indochina, which they lost during WW2 when the Japanese took control of the area. The Vietnamese nationalist, led by the communist Ho Chi Minh, were on the verge of winning a stunning victory against French forces at the battle of Dien Bien Phu. In just a few weeks, representative from the world’s powers were scheduled to meet in Geneva to discuss a political settlement of the Vietnamese conflict. U.S. officials were concerned that a victory by Ho’s forces and an agreement in Geneva might leave a communist regime in control of all or part of Vietnam.
In an attempt to rally congressional and public support for increased U.S. aid to the French, President Eisenhower gave an historic press conference on April 7, 1954. Eisenhower spent much of the speech explaining the significance of Vietnam to the United States. First was its economic importance, “ the specific value of a locality in its produce of materials that the world needs”. There was also the “possibility that …show more content…

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