A Second Look at Mr. X

Abstract

George Frost Kennan's appointment as United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union was a move of vital significance in the Cold War. For the choice of Kennan, self-acknowledged author of the policy of containment and publicly proclaimed "inside strategist" of the Cold War, reemphasized Washington's determination to press the original policy of containment-even though Kennan himself has hinted at the grave fallacy of his master plan. And while the Truman administration has yet to take note of its own expert's apparently changed views, the Republicans, under the guidance of John Foster Dulles, bid fair to push containment to its logical conclusion- preventive or provoked war. Clearly, these aspects of current American policy toward Russia point up the need to take a second look at Kennan.This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website.