The Long Telegram: A 1946 Call for Containment of the Soviet Union - Softcover

Kennan, George F

Softcover

ISBN 10: 164679320X ISBN 13: 9781646793204

Publisher: Cosimo Classics, 1946

Synopsis

"(while Soviet power was) impervious to the logic of reason, it was highly sensitive to the logic of force." -The Long Telegram, George F. Kennan (1946)

Although the United States and the Soviet Union were allies during World War II, their relationship soon changed after the war. In February 1946, the US Moscow embassy was asked by the US Treasury why the Soviet Union was not supporting the newly created World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

George Kennan, the Chargé at the US Embassy in Moscow, responded by telegram, also explaining his broader views of the Soviets. His extensive response, dubbed The Long Telegram, became the inspiration for the US containment policy. According to this strategy, the United States and its allies needed to contain the Soviet Union by preventing the spread of communism.

The Long Telegram offers unique insight in a turning point in the US-Soviet relationship and is a must-read for students of US foreign policy, diplomats, and policymakers.

About this title

About the Author

GEORGE F. KENNAN (1904-2005), American diplomat and historian, was known as an advocate of the containment policy of Soviet expansion during the Cold War. Kennan was featured in the book The Wise Men (1986) as one of six members of the East Coast foreign policy establishment that helped create and develop post-World War II institutions such as NATO, the World Bank, and the Marshall Plan.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cosimo Classics
• Publication date: 1946
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 164679320X
• ISBN 13: 9781646793204
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 26