US Embassy in Moscow
....George Kennan, the US charge d’affaires in Moscow, sent his “Long Telegram” to State Department headquarters. In this 8,000 word write up, he described his observations of the Soviet Union and offered his opinions of American policy towards the communist nation. This telegram electrified those in Washington, and served as the primary catalyst for adopting and implementing the long-standing policy of containment. He noted that on account of the Soviets’ staunch rejection of capitalist economic systems, “there can be no permanent peaceful coexistence.” He then quoted Stalin who declared 19 years prior that a strong communist economic system and a strong capitalist system will result in a “Battle between these two centers for command of world economy” that “will decide fate of capitalism and of communism in entire world." Kennan laid out a situation wherein the Soviets would expand their influence—likely to Turkey and Iran first—and would not stop until the rivals were defeated. The picture painted was that of an aggressive force that was incapable of being reasoned with. Suspicious of the Soviet government, Kennan indicated to Washington that the Soviet Union was “Impervious to logic of reason, and it is highly sensitive to logic of force.” When the Soviet Union did in fact start making more aggressive overtures to Turkey and Iran, the Truman administration heeded Kennan’s advice, and relied on the economic and military might of the United States instead of adopting a purely diplomatic approach.
George Kennan
Text of the "Long Telegram"
NSC 68 outlines how to deal with aggression from the Soviet Union
Sources: U.S. Embassy in Moscow (Image) / George Kennan (Image) / Text of Long Telegram / NSC 68 Outline