Russia and the West Under Lenin and Stalin

George F. Kennan served as an American diplomat in the Soviet Union from 1933 to 1953. This historical narrative takes the reader through three decades of violence and change, tracing diplomatic relations between the Western powers and the Soviet Union from the Russian Revolution in 1917 to the end of World War II. At every stage of the story, Mr. Kennan points up the successive dilemmas, sometimes leading to tragedy, which grew out of ignorance and mutual distrust. This is a profoundly influential book.