A new set of material concerning diplomat and historian George Kennan is now available to researchers through the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library at Princeton University.
The library staff has completed processing the latest addition to the George F. Kennan Papers. Kennan, a 1925 Princeton alumnus, is best known for his "Long Telegram" and the subsequent "X" article in Foreign Affairs in which he advocated a new course in U.S.-Soviet relations that became known as "containment." He was involved in diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union throughout most of his distinguished career in the U.S. Foreign Service and, as a historian at the Institute for Advanced Study, he analyzed the Soviet Union's history and politics.
The processing project, funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, integrated the 16-linear-foot collection that had been open since the 1970s with more than 100 linear feet of previously restricted material. The majority of the new material dates from 1950 to 2000 and is composed of an extensive correspondence file and writings file, including his diaries and unpublished works.
Kennan was the focus of an exhibition and academic conference marking his 100th birthday in 2003-04 at the University. He died on March 17, 2005, at age 101.
For more information on the collection, see the finding aid at these two URLs:
• http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/n009w2294 or
• http://diglib.princeton.edu/ead/search?pi=publicpolicy&sortkey=creator.
The Mudd Manuscript Library is open from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and until 7:45 p.m. Wednesdays during the academic year. Summer hours are 8:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and until 7:15 p.m. Wednesdays. No appointment is necessary, but registration, including the presentation of photo identification, is required to use the holdings. Further information about conducting research at Mudd library can be found on the library's website.
For other inquiries, write to: mudd@princeton.edu.
