Long Telegram

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The Long Telegram was a 1946 diplomatic cable by U.S. diplomat George F. Kennan that laid the intellectual foundation for the Cold War strategy of containment against the Soviet Union.


Statements (47)
Predicate Object
instanceOf diplomatic cable
policy document
alsoKnownAs Kennan’s Long Telegram
The Long Telegram of 1946
analyzes Marxist-Leninist ideology of the Soviet leadership
motivations of Joseph Stalin’s government
archivedIn U.S. National Archives
argues Soviet power must be contained by firm and vigilant counterforce
author George F. Kennan
authorOccupation diplomat
authorPosition Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow
country United States
date 1946-02-22
describes Soviet Union as inherently expansionist
documentType classified diplomatic cable at time of writing
field U.S. foreign policy
diplomacy
international relations
followedBy “The Sources of Soviet Conduct”
genre policy analysis
strategic analysis
hasForm telegram
historicalPeriod early Cold War
ideologicalContext anti-Soviet containment
influenced Marshall Plan
Truman Doctrine
U.S. containment policy
early Cold War strategy of the United States
language English
length over 8,000 words
medium cable communication
placeOfOrigin Moscow
proposes long-term, patient but firm containment of Russian expansive tendencies
recipient Secretary of State James F. Byrnes
relatedTo Cold War
Soviet Union
United States–Soviet Union geopolitical rivalry
sentFrom U.S. Embassy Moscow
sentTo U.S. Department of State
significance laid intellectual foundation for U.S. containment strategy
major turning point in U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union
timePeriodDescribed post–World War II international order
topic Cold War strategy
Soviet foreign policy
U.S.–Soviet relations
containment policy
year 1946

Referenced by (3)

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