Commentary In post-World War II Western intellectual circles, many were intrigued with the ideological vision of “socialism,” but few understood the ruthless ambitions of communist dictators. One man who had first-hand knowledge about Joseph Stalin’s aggressive inclinations was an American Foreign Service officer, George F. Kennan. In 1946, writing as Mr. X, while he was Chargé d’Affaires in Moscow, Kennan outlined his position toward the USSR in a “long telegram,” which was later published in the journal Foreign Affairs. Kennan concluded 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.” In 1949, Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong’s civil war victory led us to suspend relations with his so-called “Democratic People’s Republic.” The Sino-Russian bloc and the archipelago of client states that developed throughout the world were clearly viewed as enemies …