Memoirs (1925-1950)

Summary

A reflective autobiography covering Kennan's diplomatic career from his early postings in the Baltics and Moscow through the formulation of the containment doctrine and his ambassadorship to the Soviet Union. He recounts the writing of the "Long Telegram" and the "X" article, and traces his growing disenchantment with the militarization of his ideas in American Cold War policy. The prose is meditative and elegiac, as much an essay on prudence in foreign affairs as a record of events.