Yes, but not entirely as a policy of the government. The industrial complex that was built up during world war II was unprecedented, and the post war boom enab

Yes, but not entirely as a policy of the government. The industrial complex that was built up during world war II was unprecedented, and the post war boom enabled it to grow further, allowing for things like secondary supply chains, "related" niche industries, and creating many very large companies which went beyond manufacturing products into finance, among other things. The thing is, after the first generation of management of those companies aged out, the second generation didn't have any idea about the unique circumstances that allowed that industrial base to be created. They chose to believe it was because of American superiority, American know how, etc. So when they couldn't sustain the levels of growth and profit their predecessors created, the industries started eating themselves, with mergers, acquisitions, corporate raiding (Private Equity) and regulatory capture to allow it all to happen. Achieving short term gains by shipping jobs offshore was just a necessary thing to "get theirs". Boeing was once one of many, and now it's one of the last. The US will be unable to rebuild that industrial base for the foreseeable future, because the unique combination of the post war boom, the government sponsored head start in the war, and the emergence of new technologies just don't exist any more. Jobs going overseas aren't the problem, really, so them coming back makes little difference. The problem is that our huge head start after World War II is gone because it's eaten itself, and now we need to start over.