The Moscow Embassy of George Kennan and American Diplomacy in the Cold War

Vera A. Raikova
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Abstract

This paper studies the operations of the Embassy of the United States of America in Moscow headed by G. F. Kennan (May — September 1952) in the context of Cold War diplomatic history. Based on an analysis of documents located in the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, this study focuses on such key international issues as peaceful settlement of the Korean war, resolution of the German issue, and the signing of a treaty protecting fur seals in the Pacific basin. This article highlights the role of the American Embassy in Moscow, and of Ambassador Kennan in particular, in the discussion of these issues, and the nature of the embassy staff members’ interactions with Soviet authorities. The archival materials concerning the Soviet-American relations in 1952 provide clear evidence that the diplomatic corps faced severe difficulties under the conditions of military and political confrontation of the Cold War. The paper also elucidates the reasons for declaring Kennan persona non grata. Finally, the author considers the influence of the Moscow ambassadorship on Kennan’s perception of communism and the Soviet social system. He became convinced not only of the Soviet political system’s bureaucratic inertia and clumsiness, its excessive centralization, and its total focus on Stalin’s personality, but also of the extreme straightforwardness and uncompromising nature of American foreign policy towards the Soviet Union.
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乔治·凯南驻莫斯科大使馆与冷战时期的美国外交
本文以冷战外交史为背景,研究了以凯南为首的美国驻莫斯科大使馆(1952年5月至9月)的运作。本研究以俄罗斯联邦外交政策档案馆的文件分析为基础,重点研究朝鲜战争的和平解决、德国问题的解决、太平洋海狗保护条约的签署等关键国际问题。本文强调了美国驻莫斯科大使馆,特别是凯南大使在讨论这些问题中的作用,以及大使馆工作人员与苏联当局互动的性质。1952年关于苏美关系的档案材料清楚地表明,在冷战军事和政治对抗的条件下,外交使团面临着严重的困难。文章还阐述了宣布凯南为不受欢迎的人的原因。最后,作者考虑了莫斯科大使对凯南对共产主义和苏联社会制度的看法的影响。他不仅对苏联政治体系的官僚主义惰性和笨拙、过度的中央集权以及对斯大林个人的完全关注感到信服,而且对美国对苏外交政策的极端直截了当和毫不妥协的本质也感到信服。
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20
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