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This primary source is a short article from the New York Times archives from December 21, 1959. In the article, George F. Kennan responds to criticism from Kruschev's propaganda ploys; he says that any dialogue between the nations need to change "if that discussion is to be fruitful."
Kennan wrote this in an issue of Foreign Affairs in response to an article written by Kruschev's. Kennan says that, "We are all accustomed to hearing not only from the communist propaganda machine but from the lips of senior Soviet statesmen propositions which are either so paternally absurd or so flatly in contradiction to known facts that no child could believe them."
It's interesting how Kennan takes such a harsh tone when confronting Soviet leaders. Even though the USSR was percieved as an imperialistic threat with nuclear capabilities, the distinguished diplomat had no problem calling Kruschev and his statesmen out in a way that would embarras them.
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After Kennan, there have been many American diplomats that have strongly criticized aggressive foreign nations. Recently, GW Bush declared Iran, Iraq, and North Korea the "Axis of Evil" despite there being no connection between the three. Reagan and his diplomats had many harsh words for Russia, Iran, Nicaragua, Grenada, Libya, and others.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be surprising that Kennan would use derogatory language when speaking publicly about a powerful enemy, it seems that this is the rule rather than the exception in American foreign policy.