"It is clear that the main element of any United States policy toward the Soviet Union must be that of a long-term, patient but firm and vigilant containment of Russian expansive tendencies… Soviet pressure against the free institutions of the western world is something that can be contained by the adroit and vigilant application of counter-force at a series of constantly shifting geographical and political points." — "X" (George Kennan), Foreign Affairs, July 1947
Kennan's choice to publish anonymously as "X" most directly reflected:
- Acheck_circle
His position as a State Department official whose views could be read as official U.S. policy
- B
Fear of prosecution under the Smith Act
- C
A requirement of the Foreign Affairs editorial board for all academic submissions
- D
His exile status during the McCarthy era
Explanation
Kennan was Director of Policy Planning at State, so anonymity was meant to keep his analysis from being read as official policy — though it leaked out and shaped Truman administration strategy anyway.