Kennan,George (1905–2005)

Abstract

The American diplomat George Frost Kennan (1905–2005) was one of the most influential figures in the formulation of US foreign policy during the early Cold War. In particular, many scholars and foreign policy experts consider him the architect of America's containment policy, the strategy adopted by President Harry Truman to confront communism and subsequently pursued in some form or fashion by every president until the end of the Cold War. Kennan held various diplomatic posts throughout his career with the State Department. After retiring in 1953, he took a position with Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study, where he wrote numerous books and became an outspoken critic of US foreign policy, especially concerning American involvement in Vietnam and the spiraling nuclear arms race. He lived to see the end of the Cold War, though he never claimed that the policy of containment was responsible for its conclusion.