George Frost Kennan
- Born
- February 16, 1904, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Died
- March 17, 2005, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Nationality
- American
- Profession(s)
- Diplomat, Historian, Political Scientist
Early Life and Education
- Graduated from Princeton University in 1925.
- Entered the Foreign Service in 1926.
- Studied Russian language, history, and culture at the University of Berlin.
Career and Major Achievements
- Served in various diplomatic posts, including Riga, Tallinn, Kaunas, Berlin, Moscow, and Prague.
- Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, 1944-1946.
- Director of the Policy Planning Staff at the State Department, 1947-1949.
- Ambassador to the Soviet Union, 1952.
- Ambassador to Yugoslavia, 1961-1963.
- Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey.
George Kennan's Long Telegram Cold War
George Kennan, while serving as Deputy Chief of Mission in Moscow, authored the "Long Telegram" in 1946. This influential cable articulated a comprehensive analysis of Soviet foreign policy and advocated for a strategy of containment, shaping US policy towards the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
Notable Works
- American Diplomacy, 1900-1950 (1951)
- Russia Leaves the War (1956) - Won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.
- Memoirs, 1925-1950 (1967) - Won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award.
- The Nuclear Delusion: Soviet-American Relations in the Atomic Age (1982)
Legacy and Impact
Kennan's analysis of Soviet behavior and his advocacy for containment had a profound and lasting impact on US foreign policy throughout the Cold War. His writings and lectures continue to be studied and debated by scholars and policymakers.