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George F. Kennan

ジョージ・F・ケナン

Jōji F. Kenan

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1904-02-16 （Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.）
Died
2005-03-17 （Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.） age 101
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Milwaukee (birthplace) → Washington, D.C. (State Department) → Moscow (diplomatic posting) → Belgrade (diplomatic posting) → Princeton (later life)

Career

Occupations
Diplomat, Historian, Political scientist, Author
Active Years
1925-2005
Affiliations
U.S. Department of State (service), Institute for Advanced Study (faculty), Princeton University (affiliation)
Memberships
American Philosophical Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Influenced By
Robert F. Kelley, George Kennan (explorer), W. Averell Harriman
Influenced
U.S. Cold War containment policy, Foreign policy scholars and historians (e.g. John Lewis Gaddis), Policymakers (State Department, government officials)

Education

Princeton University
History
Degree: AB
Period: 1921–1925
Year of Graduation: 1925
Country: United States

Awards

Pulitzer Prize (History)
1957
Work: Russia Leaves the War
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
Pulitzer Prize
1968
Work: Memoirs: 1925–1950
Organization: Pulitzer Prize Board
Result: 受賞
National Book Award (Nonfiction)
1957
Work: Russia Leaves the War
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
National Book Award
1968
Work: Memoirs: 1925–1950
Organization: National Book Foundation
Result: 受賞
Bancroft Prize
1957
Work: Russia Leaves the War
Organization: Columbia University
Result: 受賞
Francis Parkman Prize
1957
Work: Russia Leaves the War
Organization: Society awarding Francis Parkman Prize
Result: 受賞
Albert Einstein Peace Prize
1981
Organization: Albert Einstein Peace Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Peace Prize of the German Book Trade
1982
Organization: German Book Trade
Result: 受賞
American Academy of Arts and Letters Gold Medal
1984
Organization: American Academy of Arts and Letters
Result: 受賞
Various honorary degrees
Organization: Various universities
Result: 29の名誉学位（累計）
Presidential Medal of Freedom
1989
Organization: Office of the President of the United States
Result: 受賞
Library of Congress Living Legend
2000
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 受賞
Order of Pour le Mérite
1976
Organization: Order of Pour le Mérite
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

The Sources of Soviet Conduct ("X" article)

1947 Foreign policy essay

Analyzes Soviet conduct and argues for a long-term, patient but firm policy of 'containment.' Published under the pseudonym "X."

ContainmentRealismUS–Soviet relations

Russia Leaves the War

1956 History

A historical study of Russia's relations with the West; earned critical acclaim and several major awards.

Russian historyRelations between Russia and the WestDiplomatic history

Memoirs: 1925–1950

1967 Memoir

Recollections of his early diplomatic career and the formative period of Cold War policy; won major literary awards.

Diplomatic memoirOrigins of the Cold WarPolicy making

Memoirs: 1950–1963

1972 Memoir

Sequel covering his diplomatic activities in the 1950s and his academic career thereafter.

Diplomatic historyAcademic life

Bibliography

  • American Diplomacy, 1900–1950
  • Russia Leaves the War
  • Memoirs: 1925–1950
  • Memoirs: 1950–1963
  • Democracy and the Student Left

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Scholarly and analyticalExpository and argumentative
Recurring Motifs
Cold War and containmentBalance of powerRealist approach to foreign policy

Health

  • Arthritis
    晩年
    Used a wheelchair in later years due to arthritis but continued intellectual and scholarly activity.

Legacy

Kennan was a major thinker and diplomat who shaped U.S. Cold War policy; known as a principal advocate of containment. He was also a highly regarded scholar and author, receiving numerous awards and honors.

Academic Societies

  • American Philosophical Society
  • American Academy of Arts and Sciences

Archives

  • George F. Kennan Papers (Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University)

Quotes

  • "The main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies."
    Source: The Sources of Soviet Conduct ("X" article), Foreign Affairs, 1947 (1947)

Trivia

  • His 1946 "Long Telegram" from Moscow had major influence on U.S. policy formation.
  • He was a two-time Pulitzer Prize and two-time National Book Award recipient (notable award years: 1957, 1968).
  • Served as U.S. Ambassador to Yugoslavia (Belgrade) from 1961 to 1963.
  • Associated with the Institute for Advanced Study from 1956 until his death.