February 22
21:45
2016
Today is the 70th anniversary of George Kennan’s “Long Telegram” (pdf), one of the most influential documents of the 20th century. On February 22, 1946, Kennan—then stationed at the U.S. embassy in Moscow—responded to a query from Washington as to why the Soviets were not supporting the newly created World Bank and IMF. In the preface to his 8,000-word reply, Kennan “apologize[d] in advance for this burdening of telegraphic channel”:
