O 7 April 1954, during a news conference, US President Dwight D Eisenhower articulated for the first time what would later be known as the “domino theory.”
He expressed concern that if one country in Southeast Asia fell to communism, neighbouring nations could follow in rapid succession, much like a row of falling dominoes.
The idea would become a key rationale behind American involvement in Vietnam and broader Cold War containment strategies in Asia.
