Claim: Dwight D. Eisenhower committed America to defending Formosa in 1955.

The Formosa Resolution was a bill enacted by the U.S. Congress on January 29 , 1955 that established an American commitment to defend Formosa -LRB- now called Taiwan -RRB- . As a matter of American foreign policy , President Dwight D. Eisenhower promised to protect `` territories in the West Pacific under the jurisdiction of the Republic of China '' -LRB- i.e. Taiwan and Penghu -RRB- against invasion by the People 's Republic of China -LRB- PRC -RRB- . The legislation provided the President with the power to intervene if the island was attacked .   The legislation was prompted , in part , by attacks on the islands of Kinmen and Matsu in the Taiwan Strait by the Chinese People 's Liberation Army in 1954 . Both islands had been held by the Kuomintang government of Republican China under Chiang Kai-shek , which had been handed the island of Taiwan in 1945 .   Following the enactment of the Formosa Resolution , the PRC and the US successfully negotiated an agreement to stop the bombing of the islands in the Taiwan Strait . This peaceful result ended the First Taiwan Strait Crisis .   Both the House and Senate approved this resolution : 85 to 3 in the Senate and 409 to 3 in the House .   This resolution expires `` when the President shall determine that the peace and security of the area is reasonably assured by international conditions created by action of the United Nations or otherwise , and shall so report to the Congress . ''