"SteveM8597" wrote in message
...
Our objective was to prevent the spread of communism in SEA. The Domino
theory is evidence of that. I believe we accomplished that.

I agree, but we did it by spending them into national bankruptcy. That in
itself ought to tell us that the Domino Theory was invalid from its
inception.
We didn't have to enter armed conflict to contain communism, we had merely to
force them to expend their limited resources in a futile effort to keep up
with
how we spent ours.


Not sure I see the connecton quite as you do. Soviet expansionism was going
full speed in the 60s with all the stops pulled out. I don't believe the
spending wars in the rush to build more and more weapons really got on-speed
until the late 70s. So the Domino Theory had validity in the 60s.

I was on active duty during WWII and the Korean War and into the end of the 60s,
and am trying to rely on my failing memory. Although I don't recall that we
were anything but fearful and defensive about Soviet expansionism during the
60s.....in that context, you might very well be right about the Domino Theory's
validity in those days. However, we also did not consider that the Soviet
Union, an artificial conglomeration of ethnic groups and areas, was largely
eviscerated during WWII and probably possessed far less resources in the decade
following the end of the war than we gave them credit for. After applying what
they did have to rebuilding their war ravaged nation and its armed forces, I
doubt that they had very much left that might have been available for fomenting
expansionist adventures around the world. In that sense, it's just possible
that the Domino Theory had a fatal leak in it. I don't guess we'll ever know.

George Z.