Read the excerpt and answer the question that follows China is so large looms so high just beyond the frontiers, that if South Viet Nam went, it would not only give them an improved geographic position for a guerrilla assault on Malaya, but would also give the impression that the wave of the future in southeast Asia was China and the Communists. -President John F.Kennedy, televised interview, September 9,1963 square Which idea reflected in these remarks formed the basis for U.S involvement in Vietnam? Nuclear deterrence Domino theory Iron Curtain Flexible response

The idea reflected in President John F. Kennedy's remarks that formed the basis for U.S involvement in Vietnam is the **Domino theory**.<br /><br />The Domino theory was the belief that if one country in a region came under the influence of communism, then the surrounding countries would follow in a domino effect. In this case, President Kennedy was concerned that if South Vietnam fell to communism, it would lead to China gaining a strategic geographic position for a guerrilla assault on Malaya and give the impression that the wave of the future in Southeast Asia was China and the Communists. This fear of the spread of communism in the region led to the U.S. involvement in Vietnam.